


I'm the Satellite

by makeitmine



Series: Satellite Verse [1]
Category: Glee
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-15
Updated: 2014-11-15
Packaged: 2018-02-25 12:15:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 22,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2621354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/makeitmine/pseuds/makeitmine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Quinn backs out of their surrogacy agreement, Blaine worries that he'll never get a chance to become a father. Enter Rachel, ready for a break from showbiz and eager to give that opportunity to her best friends the way Shelby did to her dads. This is the story of nine months of growth, love, fights, and of Blaine truly finding out who his family is.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. April 1999

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to the ladies in charge of the Blaine Anderson Big Bang Challenge! And so many thanks to Kate/[ebanashka](http://ebanashka.tumblr.com) for her beautiful graphics and being so wonderful to work with. Title and the song used at the end come from “Cecilia and the Satellite” by Andrew McMahon.

The box is on the conveyor belt before anyone notices.

It isn’t Blaine’s fault, really. When Cooper asked to go look at the Super Soakers, he was told to take his little brother with him. They ran across the interior of Meijer, from the seafood department where Mark and Lina were debating what kind of fish to pick out for dinner that evening, to the toy section. The looming threats of water bombs and Cooper drenching him all weekend already terrify Blaine, so he toddles off to the next aisle where the dolls are located.

It doesn’t take long for Blaine to pick out the one he wants. His eyes land on the Baby Alive, with her cherries and bottle, and he grabs her immediately. He’s already infatuated with her blonde hair and blue eyes, so different from his own. She probably wouldn’t need her hair tamed down by Mama every morning. Blaine wants to spend his saved-up allowance--sitting in a tiny wallet inside Lina’s handbag--to give her a good home in his bedroom and take care of her, like his daddy does with him.

A pair of sneakers squeaks across the laminated floor. “There you are,” Cooper says exasperated, new Super Soaker in hand. “Come on, Blainey, let’s go back.”

“Okay,” Blaine replies. He hurries behind Cooper as quickly as he can without dropping the doll.

They find their parents in the produce department and throw their choices into the shopping cart. Lina casually glances in. “Blaine, dear, are you sure you have enough money to buy that?” she asks.

“Yeah, Mama.” He bounces up and down on his toes, which makes Lina smile and turn back to the display. As his parents bag up bananas, apples, and broccoli, Blaine picks out a name for his Baby Alive--Ariel, after his favorite Disney princess. If he isn’t allowed to become a mermaid and have a handsome prince save him, he’ll let it happen for her.

The Andersons make their way up to the checkouts, and Lina puts the doll up on the belt first, before Cooper’s squirt gun and the groceries. The cashier smiles at Blaine as she scans the box. “Is this for your girlfriend?” she asks.

Blaine shakes his head. “No, it’s for me,” he says proudly. “Her name’s Ariel.”

Mark finally notices the item and bites his lip. “Blaine, are you sure that’s what you want? We can put it back and get a Lego set to build together.”

“No, Daddy, I want her!”

“I don’t know if it’s really…”

Lina cuts him off. “Mark, honey, let him buy the doll before you cause a commotion. We can discuss this later.” She fishes Blaine’s wallet out and hands it down to him. “Okay, do you have twenty dollars in there?” she asks.

Blaine stares at the green bills trying to remember. “That’s the two and the zero, right?”

“It is,” she nods. He takes it out and gives it to Lina, who in turn hands it over to the cashier.

The cashier rings in the amount and gathers up the change to hand to Blaine. “Here you go, sweetie,” she smiles. “And I think Ariel is a lovely name for her.”

“Thank you!” Blaine exclaims as he tries to force paper and coins into the wallet at once. Lina sorts it out for him, placing the coins in the zipper pocket, and she puts the wallet back into her purse.

“Honey, I’ll take him out to the car while you wait,” Mark says to Lina as the cashier rings up Cooper’s toy.

“Alright,” she nods, and Blaine is suddenly whisked away from the registers with Ariel peeking out of the bag in his hand. Mark walks him outside, down the long aisle to where their minivan is parked, and opens up the sliding door. Blaine scrambles into his booster seat and waits for Mark to buckle him in.

Mark’s eyes darken as he speaks. “Blaine, why did you want that doll?”

“Because I want to take care of her,” he replies.

“Well, don’t you think that’s more of a girl’s job than a boy’s job to take care of her?”

Blaine shakes his head. “You take care of me and you’re a boy.”

Mark chuckles. “That is true, but these kinds of things? These dolls and the movies you watch with the prince and the princess marrying? Aren’t those more girl things, don’t you think?”

“Why would they be girl things?”

“Son,” Mark begins, “there are certain roles in life that boys and girls each take care of. Boys play soccer, and climb trees, and work all day. Girls, they cook, they clean, and they take care of the kids.”

“But Missy plays soccer,” Blaine counters, bringing up his ten-year-old cousin whose game they attended last week. “And daddies take care of the kids too.”

“Is that what you want to do when you’re older? Take care of kids?”

Blaine nods fiercely. “I want to be a daddy just like you.”

“Okay, then.” Mark ruffles his gelled-down hair and slides the door shut. When he gets into the driver’s seat he turns around and stares at Blaine. “You better take good care of Ariel,” he says.

“Okay, Daddy.”

Cooper rushes into the car and slams his door shut. “Hey, squirt, wanna play cops and robbers when we get home?”

“No, I wanna play with Ariel,” Blaine says.

“Okay, fine. I was going to give you my old Super Soaker, but if you’d rather have the girly toy…”

“Cooper Michael, stop that,” Lina calls out from the tailgate as she sets a case of Coke in the back. “Let Blaine be.”

The ride home is quiet, and as soon as they’re home and the groceries are put away, Mark cuts Ariel out of her old home and hands her to Blaine. He runs upstairs to his bedroom and crawls onto his mattress with her.

“Don’t worry, Ariel, I’m going to be the best daddy ever,” he says to her, hugging her close.


	2. July 2022

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for discussion of miscarriage in this chapter

Blaine recognizes the apprehension and trepidation building throughout Kurt’s body the moment he turns the engine to their rental car off. “What’s wrong? I thought you were ready for this?” he asks.

“I am,” Kurt nods. “I think. Do we really want to do this?”

“It’s your ten-year reunion, sweetheart. If you’d rather hold off until mine next year, that’s not a problem.”

Kurt turns to Blaine. “No, that’s not it! I want to show those Lima Losers inside what I became in spite of their neanderthalic treatment of me for thirteen years.”

“Oh.” Blaine breathes a sigh of relief--coming back to Lima to celebrate the class of 2012 was something they debated from the moment the invitations were sent on Facebook by the class’ vice-president. Apparently it would have been Brittany’s job had she graduated, and now he realizes in a few short months he’s going to have to start planning for his own graduating class’ reunion. “Then what’s the issue?”

“I’m just worried that Quinn’s going to back out when we ask her,” Kurt answers softly.

The possibility is there. They haven’t seen Quinn in person since she and Puck married, and they now have a two-year-old boy named Jackson. In order to honor their agreement, she would have to uproot her life from where Puck is stationed now in Florida, find an apartment in New York to stay in for upwards of a year, and spend all of her time nurturing Kurt and Blaine’s potential unborn child. That’s a lot to put a woman through, and that’s even if they’re able to conceive right away.

Blaine leans across the console and tenderly kisses Kurt. “If she does say no, it’s okay. We’re still young, and New York is bound to have a few organizations to help us look for a surrogate.”

Kurt nods again. “You’re right. It’s just--we’ve been ready for months, Blaine. I want our baby here.”

“I hate to break it to you, but it’s going to take at least nine more.” Kurt groans and pushes Blaine away, who grins. “Come on, we should get inside and show McKinley how huge Broadway star Kurt Hummel has become.”

The reunion, for them, turns into more of a New Directions mini-reunion than anything. Puck immediately grabbed a table for twelve when he arrived to fit them all, including Blaine, Sam, Brittany, and Mike’s girlfriend, Christi. They all silently leave the final seat open next to Rachel, a reminder of the hole in their group that can never be replaced. While other members of the class come by and mingle with everyone, the focus turns to how their lives are going.

"Hey, bro, wanna come grab a drink with me?" Sam whispers at one point while Rachel is bemoaning the end of her television run, as if seven seasons left things unfinished in her character's life.

"Sure," he replies, following Sam over to the open bar where they each order a beer. Blaine takes a swig and tips his bottle towards Sam. "Just think, another year and we'll be right back here. You ready for ours?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure ours will be more interesting."

Blaine chuckles and takes another drink. "How so? Puck won't be there; we'll miss whatever lame story he has from being stationed in god knows what country he can't pronounce."

"True. but there's other reasons, you know?" Sam blushes slightly, apparently now more focused on picking at the corner of the Sam Adams label.

"And those would be?"

"Mercedes is pregnant."

Blaine is so caught up by the announcement he nearly spits his beer all over Sam. "You're kidding, right?"

"Nope," Sam grins. "We found out two weeks ago."

"Dude, congratulations!" He pulls Sam into a tight hug. "You two deserve it so much."

"Thanks, man." They break apart, with Sam glancing back to the table. "Do you mind keeping the news secret 'til we officially announce it? She's going to tell Kurt, of course, but, you know..."

"Yeah, of course." Blaine nods and claps his hand on Sam's back. "You're going to be an amazing dad, you know."

"Hey, so will you. Any idea when you two are going to get one?"

"Soon, hopefully." He looks back towards Quinn, who's busy laughing at something Rachel said. For all the drama he heard occurred between them in the early days of New Directions, all the way up to that first prom when he was wrapped up in his own issues and staying brave for Kurt, they're definitely comfortable in their friendship now. It's a good thing, as Rachel is in the midst of driving across the country and moving back to New York. She'll be around the baby often, and it would probably hurt to see a mix of her best friend and her rival in them had they not set aside their problems.

"Well, hopefully it'll be soon enough that they can both be friends," Sam says. "It's only fitting."

"Of course," Blaine says.

When they finally make their way back to the table he makes eye contact with Kurt--Mercedes has already let him in on the secret, apparently, as Kurt motions his head towards Quinn and Puck where they're seated on the other side. "Hey, guys," he says as he places his arms around the two of them, "do you mind if Kurt and I discuss some things with you in private?

They give each other a worrisome look. "That's fine," Quinn replies, setting her napkin from dinner back on the table. "Is the choir room alright?"

"Sure."

Kurt meets them at the gym entrance and they make the familiar walk down the McKinley hallway. It isn't a choir room anymore--when some new teachers went to the school board to reinstate the program, they agreed to build a state-of-the-art music room with better acoustics and professional accompaniment that didn't come in the form of Brad--but it's a place that's safe and secure to all of them. Puck uses his military ID to pick the lock open, and they step into what is now a computer lab.

"So what's up with my favorite dudes who like dudes?" Puck asks as he shuts the door.

Quinn shakes her head in embarrassment. "Excuse him, he's been on edge all week waiting to hear about a promotion."

"It's fine, I think my Puck-to-normal-human-being dictionary still works," Kurt quips. "I wish you the best of luck, and if you need a word put in at the Pentagon I'm sure my dad can still pull a couple strings."

"Thanks, Hummel," Puck replies. "You should save a pair of tickets next time we're in town. Jake said your show is out of this world."

"Hold up; is Noah Puckerman really inquiring about seeing a Broadway performance?" Kurt clutches at his heart. "What have you done to him, Quinn?"

"Nothing," she smiles, "this is the man I married."

Blaine smiles at them and clasps his hands together. "Speaking of New York, um, we have a very important question to ask. As you know, Kurt and I recently celebrated our seventh wedding anniversary, and everything has been wonderful. Kurt has his role in Fantasyville, and I've finally found my place teaching at an arts academy. While we've seen our professional lives soar, there is one small piece of the puzzle that we feel is missing. So we were wondering..."

Kurt interrupts him. "We want to know if you're ready to have our baby!"

Quinn's face falls, and Puck squeezes her hand. "I knew this was coming," she says softly, doing her best to hold back a sob before she runs her perfectly manicured hand under her eye.

"Are you okay?" Blaine asks, stepping forward to comfort her.

She sniffles and shakes her head. "Guys, there's something that I...Noah and I have kept secret."

“When Quinn was pregnant with Jackson,” Puck starts, “there were some complications. She almost lost him at four months and ended up on bed rest until the day he was born.”

She takes over the story. “I wasn’t really expecting it, since my pregnancy with Beth had been pretty textbook. Apparently my accident had caused some internal issues nobody had been aware of, and my uterus wasn’t entirely capable of withstanding a pregnancy. But I continued on, spent four months in bed, and he was born four and a half weeks early.

“Fast forward to this January and a positive pregnancy test. We thought, okay, we’ll see how I handle it this time. Unfortunately, I lost it at nine weeks, and when it happened I couldn’t stop bleeding. It turned out there was a tear in my uterus, and the doctors decided…” Quinn sniffles again and squeezes Puck’s hand harder, “they decided perform a hysterectomy.”

Blaine stands there in stunned silence, unable to even speak. “Quinn, I’m so sorry,” Kurt says in comfort.

“No, I’m sorry,” she replies as she breaks into sobs. “I should have told you two since we’ve had this agreement, and I’ve completely forgotten about it.”

“Don’t worry. Your health is much more important than what we want.” He takes a few steps and pulls Quinn into a hug. “I’m glad you’re still here.”

“Thank you, Kurt.”

“I second everything Kurt said,” Blaine finally adds. “I’m very sorry.”

“Thanks, man,” Puck replies. He straightens out his uniform jacket. “I know you guys have been jonesing for that, like, perfect suburban family.”

Kurt glares across Quinn’s shoulder at him. “Brooklyn isn’t exactly a suburb, Puck.”

“Yeah, but you two are so domestic and shit, I know this has to hurt.”

Blaine offers a small smile. “We’ll be fine. It’s not like we don’t have other options available to start a family.”

He says it more to calm himself, because he’s honestly devastated. Leaving the theater for teaching hadn’t just been a move to step back from the hectic runaround of auditions, rehearsals, and shows that either couldn’t get funding or folded within months of opening. Kurt finding success as Andy, the mysterious prince of Fantasyville, was a blessing while Blaine took classes to earn his education degree. But he planned the move so he could be there for his child. He’s ready for the sleepless nights where the baby is only capable of wailing, for the fevers and vomit, for the picked-through-half-eaten dinners. He’s also ready for the first steps, for the weeks anticipating “Daddy” to find its way out of their mouth, for bedtime stories and playdates. Quinn not being able to bear their child isn’t the end of the world, but Blaine has no idea what plan B is going to be.

“We should go back,” Puck says. “At least before Figgins takes over the microphone.”

Quinn nods. “Yeah.” She slips out from Kurt’s arms and strides past the workstations to the exit. “Don’t worry, guys, you’ll find a way,” she says.

Blaine lingers behind after Quinn and Puck head back to the gym. Kurt wraps an arm around his waist. “Are you going to be okay?”

“Eventually,” he nods.

“This doesn’t mean we’ll never get a kid, you know. When we get home we can look at adoption agencies, at other possible surrogates, whatever you want.”

He cringes when Kurt brings up adoption. It’s always been a last resort, but that resort seems to be more than a minute possibility now. “Can we hold off for a bit? I want to enjoy the time with you first.”

“Of course,” Kurt smiles, leaning in for a kiss. “This isn’t the end.”


	3. August 2022

Between the three of them, it takes three and a half weeks to decorate Rachel’s new apartment. Her aesthetic has improved marginally since she left for California, and numerous trips to furniture and home goods stores, combined with his eight-show week, have been leaving Kurt snippy at every movement. Blaine almost wishes it wasn’t Monday night and he could enjoy an evening of silence; however, Kurt’s one day off has given Rachel the opportunity to reinstate Monday potlucks.

It’s technically no longer a potluck with three people, two of whom are married, in attendance. Sam and Mercedes now live in Georgia and Artie’s off assisting with Ben Affleck’s new project. A chicken and spinach lasagna, fresh mozzarella salad, and lemondrop cookies grace Rachel’s dark cherry dining table as the three of them settle in for some food and relaxation.

“Oh!” Kurt exclaims. “I forgot to grab the wine!” He jumps out of his hair and rushes into the kitchen, returning with the bottle of chardonnay he made Blaine pick up while he worked on the cookies, along with three glasses.

Rachel covers the glass up as he sets it in front of her. “Actually, I’d rather not have the wine. Can you get me some water, please?”

“No wine?” Kurt asks in shock. “Are you okay, Rach?”

She smiles at him. “I’m fine, I’d just prefer not to drink right now.” Kurt huffs and returns to the kitchen to fill her glass up. “Thanks, love,” she says when he brings it back.

“No problem,” he mutters, grabbing the corkscrew to open the bottle for him and Blaine.

It’s been years, but Blaine still remembers how Kurt acts due to Rachel-induced stress. “Here, let me,” he says as he guides the bottle out of Kurt’s hand and peels off the wrapping on the neck. “Just sit back and relax, okay? You don’t need to be the perfect host if we’re not at home.”

“But it’s our first dinner together in what, eight years? It needs to be perfect.”

“I’m sure Rachel doesn’t mind if it isn’t.” Blaine pops the cork and pours a generous amount into Kurt’s glass before filling his own.

“He’s right,” Rachel adds with a nod.

Kurt sits down, but not before gulping down half his wine. “Fine.”

“Thank you,” Blaine says, taking his seat and starting in on his salad. The tang and spice of the vinaigrette he made hit his mouth and he focuses in on eating before the conversation starts back up.

“When do you go back to work, Blaine?” Rachel inquires over her lasagna. “Maybe you and I can hit up a matinee beforehand. I heard there’s a great show about a prince who just wants to sing rather than rule the country.”

He sets his fork down and dabs his mouth with his napkin. “Well, I’m free this week and next before I have to go in for meetings and planning sessions. I don’t know that I’m familiar with that show, though. Do you know who’s starring in it?”

“This absolutely _incredible_ young man. I heard he won a midnight madness battle in his first semester at NYADA!”

“Oh, really?” Blaine cocks an eyebrow in amusement. He glances across the table at Kurt’s who has suddenly turned deep red. “Is he attractive? You know I might not be able to watch if they don’t give me something decent to look at.”

“He’s gorgeous,” Rachel says, smiling brightly. “However, I heard he’s been with his partner for a very long time, so you might be out of luck if you’re looking to score with him.”

“What a shame,” he sighs. “I hope the partner knows how lucky he is.”

“Oh, he’s lucky, alright,” Kurt finally speaks up, “lucky the actor hasn’t run across Zac Efron in person and run off into the sunset.”

Blaine chuckles, his hand reaching across the table and squeezing Kurt’s. “Don’t you think Zac’s a little washed up now, honey?”

“Never.”

“And you would ditch me in a heartbeat?”

Kurt shrugs. “If he made the right offer. It’s going to take a lot for me to leave you.”

“That’s what I thought.” Blaine squeezes his hand one more time and pulls back. “I love you.”

“Love you, too.”

Rachel sighs. “Anyway, now that we have completed the lovesick portion of the evening, can we move on?”

“Sorry, Rach, but you started it when you called me gorgeous.”

“Well, you are!”

Blaine interrupts them. “You’re right, we should move on,” he says. “Rachel, what are your plans now that you’re back in town? Are the producers lining up to show you their scripts yet?”

She takes a sip of water and looks down at her plate. “No, I, um, was planning on taking some time off from acting.”

“Why?” Kurt asks.

“Why not? I’ve been going nonstop for the past seven years with the show, and summers aren’t as enjoyable when you’re jetting off to film movies in Chicago or Paris. I never had time to really enjoy the places I traveled because I was on set eighteen hours a day.”

‘It was worth it, though,” Blaine says. Rachel’s star climbed the moment her show premiered. Two Golden Globes, three Emmy nominations, and a role in a highly-successful crime series where she played Angela, the main antagonist, for three films before being killed off by her ex-lover cop, have put Rachel Berry on the cusp of the A-list. “So are you going to visit these places now?”

Rachel shakes her head. “Probably not. I actually have one job I’m preparing for that doesn’t require being in front of the cameras or on stage.”

“And that would be?”

“I want to be your surrogate.”

Blaine chokes on the wine halfway down his throat. “Excuse me?” Across the table, Kurt’s jaw is hanging open, noodles and sauce just sitting on his tongue waiting to be consumed.

“Quinn told me about the conversation you guys had at the reunion,” Rachel says, her voice now softened. “I know you two have always wanted children that are biologically yours, and I’d hate for you not to have that opportunity. You’re my best friends, you’ve been the biggest supporters in my career, and what better way to thank you than to offer you two the use of my uterus and eggs?”

“Rachel, that’s a huge decision to make without talking to us,” Kurt replies. “We haven’t even discussed our next step yet. Do you know how much you would have to go through in order to carry a child for us?”

“I think you’ve forgotten how I came into this world,” she snaps. “And yes, I do know. I’ve talked to Shelby and asked for her advice on it. I want to do it, I’m ready to do it. Please, please say you’ll let me carry your child.”

* * *

Ironically, it’s while Blaine is going down on Kurt that he finally speaks up that night. “Have you thought about Rachel’s offer yet?”

Blaine pulls off of Kurt’s cock. “No, I’m sort of thinking about getting you off right now,” he says with an annoyed tone.

“Sorry. But maybe we should discuss this?”

“Fine, but not while I’m naked.” He hops off the bed to grab his discarded briefs out of his chinos and pulls them back on. “Alright, shoot.”

“Do you think this is the right way for us?” Kurt asks.

“I...I’m not sure.” The remainder of dinner and their viewing of South Pacific made for a tense evening between the three of them. Nobody broached the subject of Rachel becoming pregnant, and any small talk that had been attempted was basically brushed off. Inside, Blaine wants to say yes, but he knows it’s not only his decision to make.

Kurt turns onto his side and begins caressing Blaine’s bicep. “Come on,” he says sweetly, “you’re the one who’s always dreamed of being a father. Didn’t your Baby Alive teach you everything?”

“I regret ever giving you that information,” Blaine laughs.

“Never. I hope you still have it and can pass it on to our child.”

He shakes his head. “Sadly, Mom snuck it into her garage sale when I was eight. I got a whole three dollars out of it.”

“Damn you, Lina!” Kurt jokes before his expression masks over. “Blaine, honey, I’m serious. If I know you half as well as I actually do, I know you’ve spent some time since we came back from Lima worried that it won’t happen for us.”

Blaine sighs; of course Kurt would see right through him. Sometimes he wishes he didn’t wear his heart on his sleeve. “You’ve heard some of the horror stories about gay and lesbian couples adopting. What if we only find agencies that refuse us just on that principle?”

“Who said anything about us adopting?”

“It’s fine, Kurt, we don’t need to have our own, we can save someone who doesn’t have a home…”

“But that’s not us.” Kurt sits up and crosses his legs--a view that Blaine isn’t quite sure is appropriate for their conversation. “Surrogacy was always on our minds, even when we were two crazy kids falling in love and making silly life plans we assumed would work out. That was why, after we all discussed our futures on stage before regionals, Quinn came to us months later and volunteered to be our surrogate. That was the plan for ten years, and just because she can’t doesn’t mean we can’t find someone else.”

“I know that,” Blaine whispers. “But Rachel?”

“She is our best friend.”

“Think about it, though...her genes combining with one of ours? We’re either in for the world’s biggest drama queen or the next Gypsy Rose Lee.” Blaine chuckles. “Well, I guess those would be one in the same.”

“Yeah, but we know she has no health concerns, and neither do Shelby nor her fathers. And I’m positive she won’t disappear after giving birth and wait until the kid’s sixteen to come back into their life.”

The more he considers her offer, the more Blaine actually likes the idea. Rachel’s only 28, still young; they’ll see her at least once a week for the duration of the pregnancy; she doesn’t have to relocate like Quinn would have; and, well, she still is as beautiful as Blaine thought in the few days they were a couple.

“Okay,” he finally says. “Let’s do it.”

“You serious?” Kurt asks. “Once we meet with our lawyers and figure out the full details we can’t back out of this.”

He smiles broadly. “Completely serious. Let’s bring an Anderson-Hummel-Berry baby into this world.”

Kurt squeals in delight and kisses Blaine. A bit of shifting later, and Blaine has forgotten their conversation and is shedding his underwear again.

“Do you want to finish your original plan?” Kurt asks.

“No, this is fine,” he breathes out as they rut together. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” Another kiss, and they find their rhythm and keep at it until they’re covered in a mix of sweat and come.


	4. September 2022

Taking a personal day to sit in a blindingly white waiting room is not how Blaine envisioned the moment they potentially conceived their child.

He’s thankful his and Kurt’s attorney, along with Rachel’s, were able to meet with them quickly so he could begin Paul Simon Academy of Music and Performing Arts’ school year without worry. They negotiated the terms of the surrogacy and a stipend for Rachel (to which Kurt bemoaned the drastic decrease of his fall style budget, until Blaine reminded him they would be using the money in the future for baby necessities), and Rachel provided a readout of her gynecologist appointment the day before that stated her parts were in working order. Things ran quickly, until they met with the fertility clinic, who could not schedule them in until Rachel’s cycle reached the point where it’s ready for insemination.

Beside him, Rachel is busy working through breathing exercises. He understands, as soon she’ll be propped up into some stirrups and a mixture of his and Kurt’s semen will enter her vagina in hopes of finding the egg. It sounds way more intrusive than what he has to go through, and what Kurt’s going through right now.

When Kurt returns from where the nurse had taken him he's white as a sheet. "You okay?" Blaine asks.

"Fine," Kurt snaps. Blaine sighs, as he doesn't need the stress of dealing with his husband right before having to find a way to force himself to ejaculate in a cup.

"Kurt," Rachel says, reaching across Blaine to take his hand, "if you couldn't perform adequately, it's okay. We all have days where even the most intimate of..."

"Rachel Berry, if you even begin discussing either your sex life or mine and Blaine's, I am going to walk out that door and straight to our attorney's office to terminate this deal."

“Oh.” She crosses her arms across her chest and lets out a huff.

One of the nurses pads down the hallway towards them. “Blaine? We’re ready for you now.”

He stands up and heads in her direction. “No fighting, you two,” he calls back to Kurt and Rachel.

“We’ll be on our best behavior, Dad,” Kurt says.

The final word hits Blaine straight in the heart. This could be the moment that determines if he becomes a father. It’s a heavy weight that can crush him down at any moment in the next nine months.

The nurse leads him to a nondescript room that includes a television, magazines (Playboy, mostly, so he’ll forego those), and a few toys intended for stimulation. “You have forty-five minutes to collect your sample,” she says, setting a cup on the table. “We have a wide array of film and print material should you need inspiration to bring you to climax.”

Blaine nods. “Are any of these more suitable for a, um, different orientation?”

She--Erica, he finally sees on her name tag--rolls her eyes. “Your husband asked the same thing. It all depends on what the cable company has chosen for their lineup.”

“Okay, well, thank you,” he says. “How do I let you know when I’ve...completed?”

“Bring the cup out to the station and we’ll take it.” Erica mutters additionally under her breath, “Hopefully you can work better than he did.”

Confused, he nods and she leaves the room, closing the door behind her. Blaine decides to peruse the available movies, and as expected, they are all of the heterosexual variety. The models on the magazine covers, all failing in an attempt to remain modest, also turn him off. He knows he needs something to think about in order to make this happen. For Rachel’s sake, for Kurt’s sake.

Kurt. Of course. Why settle for pornography when his vivid memories can take over? Blaine settles down on the full-size bed, leery of removing his pants and touching whatever may be around even after what he assumes is a very thorough wash cycle? He unzips his fly and pulls his still soft cock out, stroking it a little to hopefully get some sensation going.

It’s nearly impossible to settle on just one memory in the eleven years since they became sexually active. The first time, when everything was so intimate and new? Their wedding night, exhausted from all the frenzy leading up to the day and yet still so enamored with each other? The night at the hotel in Lima, unsure of where their future lied even when they’d just skipped out on all their friends partying to go at it? In the end, Blaine chooses none of the above as his preferred moment.

The scene in his head is from nearly two years ago, the day Kurt was cast as Andy. Blaine recalls everything about the day: his masters classes at Fordham kept him away from home most of the time, and that day happened to be an all-day seminar built around the state of music in the classroom. When Blaine finally trudged in the door at 7:15, he found a candlelit dinner set up with Kurt’s fettucini alfredo made from scratch, along with a peanut butter cheesecake. “I got the role!” Kurt exclaimed as their eyes met, and dinner was left abandoned for nearly two hours as Blaine carried him into their bedroom and worshipped his body from head to toe.

Blaine feels himself harden as he recounts the evening: every moan out of Kurt’s gorgeous mouth; the taste of his skin; working through to please him every way he could possibly imagine. His hips arch up and he grips his cock tigher, his pace quickening as he remembers riding Kurt’s body until every muscle had been spent. As he feels the familiar warmth bubbling up, ready to release, he realizes he needs to make his way over to where the sample cup is. Blaine slides off the bed as best he can, still working over his dick, and hobbles over to where the cup is just before he unloads.

There’s more come on the floor than in the cup, but Blaine hopes it’s enough to do the job. He grabs a few of the wipes perched on the table to clean himself off, screws the lid back onto the cup, and departs the room to hand the sample off to the nurse waiting for him before rejoining Kurt and Rachel in the waiting area.

“How’d it go?” Rachel asks as he sits down.

“I guess we’ll see after they take you in, huh?” he jokes. The time spent in the room did nothing to relieve his nerves.

“But then there’s still the wait until I can take the test.”

“Oh, yeah.”

Kurt pulls his phone out and checks the time. “I hope this doesn’t take much longer. I’ll have to leave for the theater in an hour and a half if so.”

“You’ll be fine, Kurt,” Rachel says. “I’m sure they’re just preparing the sample and setting everything up for me.”

“Yeah, but without my pre-warmup warmups? How would you ever let me go on stage if I don’t get my routine in?”

“Kurt, your child is going to have to come first, you know that.”

“Okay, can we stop?” Blaine interrupts. “The less stress for Rachel, the better, right?”

“Right,” they both mutter.

“Rachel Berry?” a voice calls out. Dr. Fields, one of the doctors who works there, is standing at the end of the hallway. “We’re ready for you now.”

“Great,” she says, standing up and smoothing out the skirt of her dress. “Hopefully when I return I’ll be with child!” She takes off after him and disappears down the hallway.

“I need to tell you something,” Kurt blurts out as soon as she’s gone.

“What?” Blaine asks nervously. He doesn’t need any more stress brought on right now, and this might not be good.

“When I was back there, in that room? I couldn’t...you know…”

“Couldn’t what?”

“I couldn’t force myself into doing anything,” Kurt sighs. “It felt awkward, and intrusive, and my body wasn’t responding to any of the toys, and you _know_ how I’ve always felt about porn. It wasn’t happening no matter how hard I tried.

“But then I thought about it, and this is your dream, you know? I never cared one way or the other who would be the actual father, but you’ve wanted this for twenty-five years.” He pulls Blaine as close as he can with the arms of the chairs blocking them. “So when the time was up I didn’t provide a sample.”

Blaine sits in shock and anger. The decision to both provide their sperm was meant to make it easier for everything to happen on the first try. Now it was left to him, and he had no clue if he was good enough for the conception to occur. “Why didn’t you tell me this before?” he asks.

Kurt shrugs. “It was the right decision, what we made. But I know that deep down, had it biologically been my child, you would have felt you weren’t good enough. You are, Blaine, no matter what, and this is my gift to you.”

He knows Kurt’s right. Blaine’s always fighting with his insecurities, even now as he’s coming closer to 30. Kurt has been the strong one for them since he moved to New York--maybe even since their reconciliation. He wants to do right, say right, give right. It could be difficult if his bond to the child is basically ‘adoptive father’, as would technically be the case.

“Besides,” Kurt adds, “Rachel said once upon a time you two would make beautiful babies, and that is definitely going to be true.” He plants a kiss on Blaine’s forehead and tips his chin up so their eyes meet. “I love you, and I love this child that may or may not exist right now.”

Blaine feels his eyes welling up. “Thank you,” he chokes out before the tears start. He hugs Kurt and holds onto him for what feels like an eternity before Rachel returns, hopeful that their work did the trick.


	5. October 2022

Blaine hears the locks turn from the kitchen and cringes. “Good morning, my lovely baby daddies!” Rachel calls out.

He steps out of the kitchen and motions for her to hush. “Hey, it’s not even 7 yet, Kurt needs to sleep before the matinee.”

She rolls her eyes and sets several bags on the dining table. “I think he’s going to want to wake up early today, though. It’s going to be a _wonderful_ day!”

“Rachel, has anyone told you to cut down on your sugar?”

“Oh, sweetie.” She skips over to the entrance of the kitchen and pecks Blaine on the cheek. “I hope you haven’t started breakfast yet. I grabbed some of the best Jewish bagels you will ever lay your tongue on.”

“I already have an omelet started.” Blaine’s annoyance is starting to show. He has a routine he sticks to every weekday morning: alarm at 6, shower at 6:10, in the kitchen by 6:45 to cook breakfast, out the door to catch the 7:21 train to Lower Manhattan, in his office by 8:10 when the bell rings. Only because first period is his free period does he not arrive an hour earlier with the rest of the faculty. “Rachel, why are you even here?” he asks.

“Because,” she says. She goes back to dig through one of the bags and tosses a pink box at Blaine. He takes a look at it.

“A pregnancy test.”

“I think it’s time we find out, Blaine.” Rachel gives him a smile. “Are you ready?”

“I...guess?” In actuality, he’s terrified.

“Great! I’ll go wake Kurt up and then we can--”

“No, let me do that,” he interrupts, sprinting to the bedroom. He slips through the door and closes it behind him. Turning around, he finds his husband sprawled across the bed, naked and dead to the world. "Kurt," he says softly, "wake up."

"No, wanna sleep." Kurt turns onto his side and pulls Blaine's pillow up to his chest.

"Rachel's here and she wants to take a pregnancy test."

Kurt's eyes shoot open. "What the hell?" he exclaims as he jumps up. "Why would you let her in when you know I don't get home on show nights until after 12?"

"Because someone thought it would be a good idea for her to have a key to our place."

"Yeah, okay, blame it all on me." Kurt pulls out an old pair of sweats that he doesn't wear around anyone other than Blaine and quickly gets into them. "What are you waiting for, tell her to go take it!"

"Okay," Blaine says. He leaves the room and goes back to the living room, where Rachel is now sitting on the couch. "He said you can take the test while he wakes up."

She nods and stands. "Alright." As she makes her way, she stops and hugs him. "You'll be alright if it comes up negative, right? We'll just call the clinic and see when you and I can get back in. Or, if you want, we can always go the old-fashioned route?" Rachel adds with a wiggle of her eyebrows.

"Ew, no," Blaine chuckles. "I love you, but not in that way."

“It was worth a shot.” She smiles and heads into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

Kurt joins Blaine once he’s dressed and makes a disgusted face. “What’s that smell?”

“Oh, shit, my breakfast!” Blaine follows the burning stench into the kitchen, where there is now a blackened mess of egg whites and spinach in the skillet. He switches the burner off and tosses the omelet down the garbage disposal. “Guess it’s a good thing Rachel brought bagels with her,” he sighs.

“Yeah,” Kurt says. “That was nice of her for intruding on my beauty sleep.”

“No, but how am I going to take care of a kid if I burn my breakfast like this?” He leans against the sink and sighs. “I’m not ready for this, Kurt.”

Kurt stands behind Blaine and wraps his arms around his waist. “Of course you’re ready. And believe me, you won’t be the only one making mistakes. We’re going to learn all of this as we go, and if there are hundreds of burned meals because of a crying baby? Then so be it.” He softly kisses the nape of Blaine’s neck. “You’re going to be an amazing dad, trust me. Don’t ever doubt yourself about that.”

“Are you sure?” Blaine asks. “I mean, look at the example I had compared to you.”

“See, that’s the thing. I know Mark loves you and always wanted the best for you. And you’ve seen how Cooper’s taken to Hannah since she was born and makes sure she receives all his attention. That’s the sign of a true father; he doesn’t have to be there 24/7 like my dad had to be, but enough to nurture a child.

“You are perfect dad material, Blaine,” Kurt adds, “and I don’t ever want to hear you doubt that you won’t be.”

“Thank you.” He knows it’s crazy, and he knows everyone has to have been through the phase. But Blaine knows his doubts, knows his insecurities too well to think they’ll ever go away, even once their kid is grown up and out of the house. That is, if this is going to happen.

“Um, guys?” Rachel raps her knuckles on the threshold of the kitchen.

Blaine looks up at her. “Yeah?”

“You may want to see this.” She holds out the test in her hand.

Blaine and Kurt separate and make their way over to her. Blaine picks up the sticks and stares at the window that shows two bright blue lines. “What does this mean?” he asks.

Rachel bites her lip. “Well, if I followed the directions exactly as it said to do--and I’m pretty sure I did--then I’m pregnant.”

Blaine immediately drops the stick. “Seriously?”

“Oh, my god!” Kurt whoops. He picks her up into a bear hug. “This is a wonderful reason to be woken up too early!”

“Isn’t it?” Rachel beams. When he puts her back down, she wraps herself around Blaine. “We did it, sweetie!”

“I…” Blaine is too choked up to really say anything. He’s elated, relieved, and terrified all at once. This is all he’s wanted since he was a boy, and the dream is finally going to come true.

“Can I sneak in here, too?” Kurt asks, a fake pout on his face.

Blaine drops an arm and pulls him in. “Come here, Dad,” he says, kissing him firmly. “We’re doing this, aren’t we?”

“We are.”

He looks at the microwave clock and breaks away. “Great, I’m going to be late for work,” he says. He rushes to get his jacket, briefcase, and one of Rachel’s bagels along with a cup of cream cheese. “Love you guys!” he calls on his way out the door.

Truth is, Blaine doesn’t care that he ends up catching the 7:34 train. He has a wonderful reason to be late today.

* * *

Blaine knocks rapidly on Rachel’s door. They’re supposed to be heading out to his coworker, Genevieve’s, Halloween party. He avoided the party last year, his first year at the school, because it wouldn’t be fun if he didn’t have Kurt at his side. Fantasyville had just opened three weeks earlier and the reviews were outstanding. There was no way Kurt could have called out for a party that early into the run. Thankfully this year Rachel agreed to go with him, and they decided to go back to their Tony-and-Maria days for a costume.

When after thirty seconds she doesn’t answer, he tries again. “Rach? Come on, I don’t want to be late. You can do your makeup in the cab if you need to.”

A third try finally gets her to open the door, but Blaine realizes she has yet to change into her dress. In fact, she’s wearing a pair of leggings and Finn’s old McKinley football hoodie, big enough for the waistband to fall at Rachel’s knees. “Hey, come on, we’re supposed to be there around 8.”

“I’m not going,” she says flatly.

He sticks his hand in the jamb as she tries to close him out. “No, hey, what’s going on?” he asks. “You agreed to this last week. What’s going on?”

“I don’t feel well, I’m not going to go to the party, and I don’t want to talk to you. End of story.”

Blaine is really not in the mood for one of Rachel’s diva fits. “You know I’m not going to leave without you, right?”

“Then I guess you’re not leaving at all.” She moves aside to let him in and closes the door. “I’d offer you something to eat, but my appetite is a little pissed off at me.”

He takes off his jacket--a dandelion yellow one nearly identical to the one he wore on that stage--and hangs it on Rachel’s coat rack by the door. “Are you sick?” he asks worriedly.

“You could say that,” she scoffs.

“What’s up?” He instinctively brings his hand to her forehead and feels around. “You don’t have a fever.”

“Of course I don’t.”

“Then what’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong?” Rachel shakes her head. “Society, doctors, other moms who refuse to tell you the truth.”

Blaine stares at her in utter confusion. “You’ve lost me, Rachel. I can go pick up some over the counter medicine if it’s really bad...”

“Oh, trust me, that won’t help.”

“Then at least tell me why you’re sick.”

“You want to know why?” she asks, folding her arms around her chest. “It’s your fault. You did this to me.”

“Excuse me? I haven’t been sick at all, and I don’t think any of my students have come down with something severe enough to give it to Kurt, let alone you.”

“Morning sickness, Blaine. Morning sickness is a damn lie.” Rachel pads over to her couch and collapses onto it. “I’ve been throwing up basically nonstop since Wednesday,” she says. “At first I thought something was wrong with me, and I called Quinn to ask her if she experienced this before.”

Blaine takes a seat next to Rachel and cradles her shoulders under his arm. “What did she say?” he asks.

“She told me this is normal. Morning sickness isn’t really confined to the morning. It can last for days, weeks, even the entire nine months if I’m lucky.” She leans into his touch, onto his upper arm. “I guess there’s more that’s going to come my way as this goes on.”

“Like what?”

“Heartburn, indigestion, other things I’d rather not think about.”

“I’m sorry,” Blaine says. “If I’d known this all was going to happen to you, I’d have convinced Kurt not to go with you and to hire someone.”

She stares up to him with her big, dark eyes. “It’s okay, Blaine,” she smiles. “I think a year of discomfort to give my two best friends something they’ve wanted forever is kind of worth it, don’t you think?”

“I guess.” He ruffles Rachel’s hair and stands up. “So I guess the party’s definitely out of the question now, huh?”

“Oh, you can still go. It’s your friends, I don’t want to get in the way running to the bathroom every hour.”

“To tell you the truth? I didn’t really want to go anyway,” he grins.

“Blaine Anderson-Hummel, that isn’t like you!” Rachel gasps. “You’re such the people-pleaser, and now you’re ditching a Halloween party?”

“I’m cancelling on a party with people I’ve known for barely a year to take care of the girl I’ve known for twelve years and is carrying my child.” Blaine walks into Rachel’s open kitchen and searches through her cupboards. “Do you think your morning sickness can handle some vegetable broth if I heat it up?” he calls out to her.

“It might help,” she says. “I can’t deal with anything solid. Half a sandwich yesterday is really all I’ve eaten, and that came back up in the afternoon.”

“Rachel, you need to eat. Is there anything that can help you out? I’ll run down to the drugstore and get anything.”

“Dramamine will do, Quinn said.”

“Great.” He turns the stove on to warm it up for the broth. “Anything else?”

“Ginger ale, as I’m not really supposed to have tea anymore.”

“What? Why?”

“The caffeine,” Rachel says as she joins him. “The doctor gave me a whole list of foods I’m supposed to avoid while pregnant. Most of them are meat products, so that won’t be much of an issue, but no tea? What am I going to do?”

“Aww, I think you’ll survive,” he teases.

“Oh, and a huge bag of Reese’s Cups, too, since it’s Halloween!”

“I thought you weren’t eating?”

“Blaine, they sound really good!”

“Alright,” he says, leaving the kitchen and grabbing his coat. “Dramamine, ginger ale, and candy. Is that all?”

Rachel nods. “I think so. When you get back, you can stay here and I can put West Side Story in, that way we can still reprise our characters.”

“Gotcha.” Blaine opens her door and steps into the hallway. “I’ll be back!”

“Can’t wait...oh, no, not again.” Rachel rushes to the bathroom, and he leaves to the sound of her puking. As he waits for the elevator to arrive, he pulls out his phone and sends a text to Kurt. _We’re in for a long nine months…_


	6. November 2022

“No, Grandpa, you need to do it like this!” Hannah does a shimmy that her favorite character, Bumble Beenie, always dances on her show.

Mark does his best to copy her. “Like this, you say?”

“Yes!” she exclaims. She jumps up and down and her dark curls bounce along. “Daddy can’t even do that, so you’re better than him.”

“I am?”

“Yeah, Grandpa!”

Blaine’s almost too hesitant to interrupt their time together. Cooper’s ex-girlfriend, Hannah’s mother, has been tightening the ropes on Cooper’s arranged times when he has his daughter. She balked at the thought of Hannah coming to Ohio for Thanksgiving with Cooper and his new girlfriend, Shellie, until the threat of taking her to court for denying his first holiday in a year and a half with her made her backtrack. Hannah is an Anderson through and through, though, as she clamors for everyone’s attention the moment she walks into the room. It makes Blaine stop and think about how similar her new cousin will be when they arrive.

He clears his throat to get their attention. “I must say that’s a really awesome dance,” he says.”

Hannah rushes over and tries to pull Blaine towards the center of the room. “Join us, Uncle Blaine!”

“I’d love to,” he says, “but I need to talk to Grandpa, actually. Why don’t you see if Nana has some leftover cookies to give to you?”

“Okay!” Hannah rushes towards the steps at the mention of sweets--definitely the spawn of Cooper.

Mark grins as the sound of her hopping up the stairs echoes throughout the basement. “She’s quite the handful, isn’t she?”

“Seems like it.” He pads across the room towards the refrigerator. After he moved to New York, his parents remodeled the basement from an all-purpose rec room for two boys into a bit of a ‘man-cave’. A billiards table and large television mounted on the wall now take the place of old Hot Wheels tracks and holes caused by Cooper kicking the soccer ball too hard. “Want a beer?” Blaine asks as he opens the refrigerator up.

“Sure, why not,” Mark replies. “This must be a serious talk if you’re offering me one.”

Blaine smiles nervously to himself and grabs two bottles. “Well, since you had to stay at the hospital to work last night instead of enjoy Thanksgiving with your family, I thought I’d catch up with you now.”

He tosses one of the bottles to Mark, who catches it easily. “That doesn’t sound so good. Everything okay between you and Kurt?”

“Oh, yeah.” Blaine twists the cap off and takes a sip before settling onto the couch. Mark joins him on the other end. “Things are really good, actually, and that’s what I wanted to talk about.”

“Alright,” Mark smiles. “What’s going on?”

The relationship Blaine has had with Mark throughout the years has always been hit or miss. There have been times, like the year they attended every Buckeyes home game together when Blaine was ten years old, that everything resembled a typical father-son dynamic. Then there were the years after Blaine came out, was beaten up, met Kurt, that he was fairly certain Mark no longer loved him due to his sexuality. Things only began to clear up the Christmas before the wedding, when Mark and Lina visited New York and he truly saw how things were for Blaine. Watching his younger son succeed in school and romance put things into perspective, that being gay really had zero impact on who Blaine is. A long, emotional talk finally put them on the same page, though nowhere near the closeness of Blaine’s younger years.

“Well,” he begins, “you know Kurt and I have been together for a long time now.”

Mark nods. “Ten years, right?”

“Eleven and a half,” Blaine corrects, ignoring the period they were broken up.

“Quite a long time, isn’t it?”

“And yet no time at all.”

“Not compared to the forty-three years your mom and I have been together,” Mark chuckles.

“True,” Blaine smiles. “But we’ve decided that now is the time to expand our family.”

Mark’s expression turns unreadable, and Blaine tries not to panic. “Say what now?”

He takes a deep breath. “You’re going to have another grandchild. In June.”

“Oh. I didn’t realize you two were planning on adopting.”

Blaine shakes his head, “No, we have a surrogate--Rachel actually came to us and volunteered to carry our child.”

“I see.”

Silence reigns over Blaine’s head. He watches his father take a final drink and set the bottle on the end table. “I thought you would have been a little more excited, Dad,” he says. “Maybe not as much as Mama was when we told her yesterday…”

“Blaine, I’m still processing this,” Mark cuts in. “I wasn’t expecting you to drop this news on me.”

And it’s begun, Blaine thinks. This was the only reaction he and Kurt were concerned about; Lina, Burt, and Carole were all delighted to hear the news, and they’re certain their friends and coworkers will be as well when they fully announce, after Rachel’s out of the first trimester. “What’s the problem?” he asks.

“I’m just wondering how this kid will get through everything...you know, with you and Kurt.”

“You mean having two fathers?”

“You’re twisting my words around,” Mark says.

“That’s not how it sounded to me.”

“You two are working all the time, how are you going to raise a child? That’s what I’m asking.”

“The baby’s due in late June, so I’ll be home for the first couple months,” Blaine says. “And even when I do go back to work, I’ll be home evenings and weekends, and Kurt will be able to take care of them every day except Wednesdays. And that’s only if he renews his contract for the show.

“Dad, you know this has been something I’ve been looking forward to for a long time. We have everything planned out, the last appointment was excellent, and...you know...it’s time for us to experience fatherhood.”

“What are you going to do about the unplanned things, though?” Mark asks. “The doctor’s trips for a high fever and the new sneakers after they outgrow the last pair in two months, hell, even the formula you’ll have to buy? Do you know how many young moms I have come through the ER explaining their baby was drinking apple juice at two months old because they couldn’t afford the formula? And you say Kurt might leave his role; I can’t see you living off a teacher’s salary for a family of three, especially in New York.”

Tears prickle behind Blaine’s eyes, and he tries to hold them back. “We know what we’re doing, Dad,” he says. “We opened up a savings account right after I moved out there and have always put a portion of our checks into it. We don’t splurge outside of clothing, and Kurt’s always bargain hunting for groceries, essentials, you name it. He’s even been searching Craigslist to see if there’s any furniture in well-enough shape so we don’t need to spend a fortune.”

“Fair enough. And what about the birth? What if your surrogate decides she wants to keep the baby?”

“Dad, it’s Rachel; Kurt’s best friend, one of my closest friends, and she herself came from a surrogate. Even so, we have a contract for all of this so she has no claim after birth. I don’t get why you’re arguing all of this with me?”

“Because you’ve always romanticized the little things, Blaine. I…” Mark takes a deep breath. “Remember when you were younger and you picked up that doll? Ariya, you named her?”

“Ariel,” Blaine corrects.

“Yeah, that. You said all you wanted to do was love her the way a father should love his child. But that’s both the easiest and most difficult thing to do. I may not have been winning any awards for how I took care of you, especially after you came out, but watching your child grow up? It is the scariest damn thing. You have to hope that all your teaching and nurturing works out for the best, because you don’t get another shot.” 

Mark pauses to take off his glasses, and it hits Blaine just how much he takes after Mark. Even pushing into his later sixties, Mark Anderson still has a boyish look to him. His hair has long faded from deep brown to silver, but his hazel eyes--the ones Blaine inherited and hopes the baby will too--still shine as they did twenty years before. He even looks identical to Blaine when he’s loaded with worry. “God, Blaine, what I wouldn’t give to do your teenage years over again and show you how much I’ve always loved you and that your sexuality had no impact on who you were then, and who you are now,” he says through a choked laugh.

“I know, Dad,” Blaine whispers. He closes the gap and wraps himself around Mark. “I know this is going to be difficult. I know there will be times where I’ll have to punish them when I don’t want to. But I’m ready for it all, and so is Kurt.”

“You won’t be. Not until your little one is eighteen and moving in with their significant other.”

Blaine chuckles. “Did you torture Cooper like this before Hannah was born?”

“No comment,” Mark winks. He pulls a handkerchief out and dabs at his eyes. “I promise no matter what I will love this child. It’s still my grandbaby even if not by blood, right?”

“Actually, um, it would be by blood.”

“Then all the reason to celebrate! Come on, how about another round and then I’ll kick your ass on the pool table?”

“You wish, Dad,” Blaine says as he stands up and gets two more bottles. “I don’t think you can keep up with me anymore.”

“Oh, but I’m a new man since my last knee surgery.” Mark strolls across the room and grabs a couple cuesticks off the wall. “Gonna have to be if I have to run after a little version of you.”

“Then I better step up my game.” He hands a beer over and takes the stick. “Old man breaks, right?”

“Keep it up and I’ll go out right now to buy the loudest toys I can find,” Mark smirks as he racks the balls. “And Blaine?”

“Yeah?”

“Congratulations.”

Blaine smiles. “Thanks, Dad.”


	7. December 2022

The best part of teaching music, Blaine thinks, is that outside of the performances his students are required to give once a month, he doesn’t have to worry about it after the final bell rings. He can take his time, shop, relax, and not wonder if he made the right decision in giving Isabella and her wider range the lead solo in the Holiday Concert Revue or if Kennedy should have received it, since her voice is technically stronger.

He also thrives on his one evening a week with Kurt. Mondays, when not spent at Rachel’s place as they’ve been doing more lately, are date nights. They hit the town, see one of the few shows not dark that night, catch a flick, or even stay in and relax. It’s been there night since they earned their first chorus roles, and they know it’s been an important reason as to why their relationship has stood the test of time.

The problem, however, is that it’s Monday evening and Kurt isn’t home. He texted Blaine around lunchtime and said Rachel needed him for something, but not a word since. Blaine takes the time alone to watch a sci-fi show he loves but has to record because Kurt has no interest in it. He texts Sam, who’s going insane as Mercedes has been placed on bedrest for the remainder of her pregnancy and any tiny movement she makes has him rushing to gather things to take to the hospital. He grabs the pork chops they got at the grocery yesterday and puts them in the oven with some garlic and rosemary. It’s only as he’s finishing boiling the new potatoes to mash up that Kurt and Rachel come strolling through the door.

“Blaine?” Kurt calls out from the foyer. “I’m home, and Rach is staying for dinner.”

He pops his head out of the kitchen. “I’ve already got pork chops going, though. Can’t really change up the menu when they’ll be done in fifteen minutes.”

“Oh, that’s fine, they actually sound really good,” Rachel says, sliding past Blaine to get a glass of water.

“Rachel, you’re a Jewish vegetarian,” Blaine states. He gives Kurt a ‘why is she joining us when we had dinner with her last week?’ look, to which Kurt shrugs.

“And right now pork chops sound amazing. With strawberry jam.”

The thought of the combination turns Blaine’s stomach. “Excuse me?”

“You do have some, right?” She starts rummaging through their refrigerator, the clinking of jars and bottles against each other filling the room. “Ugh, only grape? What good are you two?”

“Drop it now,” Kurt whispers when Blaine opens his mouth again. “She’s been like this all day, and another word may send her crying.”

“Fine,” Blaine huffs. He pads over to the stove to turn the burner off, grabbing the pot with an oven mitt and taking it over to the sink to drain the water out. “Rachel, we would love to have you for dinner, but I’m afraid we can’t fulfill your cravings at the moment.”

Rachel pulls the arugula Kurt insists on eating for his salad every afternoon out, along with his bottle of lemon vinaigrette. “That’s fine,” she says a little dejectedly, “I probably shouldn’t be eating something so large anyway.”

“Rachel, you’re pregnant. You need the food more than ever now.”

“Really, Blaine?” she scoffs. “You think I _need_ it? Because here’s the thing: I don’t. Did you know I’ve already put on ten pounds? I’m not even twelve weeks along, yet none of my clothes fit me anymore. Kurt took me out today to purchase some maternity clothes, and let me tell you, they are hideous. I don’t understand how I’m going to deal with them for six months, but what choice do I have? My belly has grown, my hips have grown, and oh, did I forget to mention my breasts?” Rachel cups them in her hands. “I needed to buy D-cup bras today, Blaine. They’re huge.”

“Why would they…”

“Milk production,” she cuts him off. “Which, even if you two decide to not use me for that will still happen.”

“I’m sorry,” Blaine comforts her. “But this is all normal, right? As long as you and the baby are healthy, you should embrace the changes. It’s a good sign.”

“But I feel so huge already.” She sniffles and leans against the refrigerator door. “I love that I’m helping you two out with this, believe me, but I wasn’t ready for this so soon. Quinn said she didn’t need maternity items until she was four months.”

Kurt strides across and wraps his arms around her. He’s always had that touch to calm Rachel down--Blaine assumes it’s from their time living together, before Santana came to the city, before he was done with Ohio. “And you know exactly what the doctor said the other day, Rachel. Every pregnancy is different, so you can’t compare yourself to her.”

“He’s right,” Blaine says, slipping by her to grab milk and butter. “Maybe you can have a better idea of how different things are if you call Mercedes. Did you know she ended up in the hospital last week with contractions?”

Rachel shakes her head. “But she’s not due until the beginning of February, right?”

“Exactly. So now the doctor had to put her on bed rest until she delivers. Give her a call tomorrow, to ease your mind and hers.”

“Alright,” she says with a smile.

“And remember that you are beautiful no matter how much weight you put on,” Kurt adds, his hand running up and down the side of her tiny bump. “It’s only temporary and out of love for your two best friends.”

She leans into his shoulder. “Stop being so perfect, you two.”

“Sweetie, if we were perfect we wouldn’t need your help,” Blaine winks. “You know what, I might be able to whip up some gravy quickly for the potatoes, if you’d like, that way you can avoid the pork chops altogether and get more than the salad. How’s that?”

“That sounds wonderful,” Rachel says. “No, but honestly everything under the sun sounds good. Not that I’ll think that at 2 AM when I get sick again, but it’s true.”

“Great.” He pecks her on the cheek and starts on the potatoes. “Thank you, again, for doing this for us.”

“You’re welcome. And thanks for dealing with my emotions.”

“Hey, now,” Kurt says, “if I haven’t murdered you after thirteen years of friendship, why would I do it now?” He takes her hand. “Come on, we can put the baby things away while Blaine finishes cooking.”

Blaine drops the masher and turns around. “Baby things?”

“Oh, Blaine, we found the cutest onesies! Hold on.” Rachel disappears to the living room to grab them.

He bites his lip. “I thought we were going to wait until the after-Christmas sales to start buying things?”

Kurt nods. “I know, honey, but we were at Nordstroms and Rachel was trying on all the dresses we picked out, and we were right next to the newborn clothing. She bought a few items that are just adorable. You’ll love them.”

“I’m sure,” Blaine mutters as he turns back around. He smashes through the potatoes harder, as a bubble of hurt and anger increases inside. He already has to miss a majority of Rachel’s appointments because he needs to save his sick days up, just in case things go wrong next year. Now they’re buying items for the baby without him, one of the things he’s been waiting to do but held off on. It was supposed to be a celebratory moment, the first notions that yes, they’re going to be fathers in a few months’ time. And now it’s been taken, the first item cannot be bought by him.

“Here we go!” Rachel says when she reenters the room.

Blaine turns and sees a onesie with a printed gray argyle vest and red bowtie. “Are you serious?” he beams, forgetting about the potatoes and rushing over to take it from her. “This is perfect!”

“Isn’t it?” Rachel says.

“Absolutely! But, what if we have a girl?”

“Then she’ll proudly wear it,” Kurt says, raising an eyebrow. “You think the two of us would allow gender norms placed on our child?”

Blaine shakes his head. “No, I guess not.” He hands it back to finish dinner. “Thank you, Rach.”

“You’re welcome,” she says, setting it back in the bag she brought in. “Now where’s my food, I’m starving!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [The onesie](http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/sara-kety-baby-kids-argyle-vest-bodysuit-baby/3401359?origin=category-personalizedsort&contextualcategoryid=0&fashionColor=&resultback=3465&cm_sp=personalizedsort-_-browseresults-_-1_10_C) Kurt and Rachel purchased. Perfect or what?


	8. January 2023

Rachel bounces one leg up and down. “Can they call us back anytime soon? I don’t think my bladder can hold on much longer.”

Blaine cusps her hand in between his and caresses it. “I don’t think it’ll be much longer. It’s been quite a while since they called the last patient back.”

“I don’t even understand why they do this,” she huffs. “‘Drink plenty of water for the ultrasound,’ they say. Why would you tell that to a pregnant woman who has to use the bathroom every fifteen minutes?”

Kurt flips the page in one of the parenting magazines, nearly the only reading material available in the obstetrician’s office. “I’m sure they have their reasons, Rachel,” he says tightly.

“Well, your child doesn’t agree with that. They won’t stop moving around!”

“Aw, you poor thing,” Blaine coos. He brings one of his hands to the swell of her belly--much bigger even from when they spent Sunday together at the matinee of Kurt’s show. It’s a strange yet amazing feeling, the light flutters the fetus makes. Rachel first experienced them three weeks ago, and it took some time for Kurt and Blaine to be able to feel it on their end.

“Hey, you,” he leans down and whispers to Rachel’s belly. “You need to behave in there for Rachel. I know you’re just as excited for Papa and me to find out if you’re a boy or a girl, but be gentle to her, okay?”

“Papa?” Rachel inquires.

“We wanted the baby to be able to differentiate between us,” Kurt says, placing the magazine on the empty chair next to him. “So I’m Papa and Blaine is Daddy. Pretty simple, huh?”

She shrugs. “I’ve never needed to do that; they’ve always both been Daddy, or Dad when I got older. Are you sure?”

“Yes, we are,” Blaine says, pulling away before he says something that he doesn’t mean to and sets her emotions on another rollercoaster ride. The last thing he wants is to be criticized for how they plan to parent, especially from someone who has no experience in the area.

“Rachel Berry?” a nurse calls out from the door. Kurt helps Rachel stand up and center her weight--for someone as small in stature as she is, the additional weight has taken a toll on her balance. Blaine gets up and follows them to an examination room down the hallway.

“So how are you doing today, Rachel?” she asks as she pulls her stethoscope out and begins prodding around the belly.

“Pretty good. No more morning sickness, at least. How was Donovan’s birthday?”

The nurse smiles. “Wonderful! He was so excited to open up the cars you suggested. I must say, your maternal instincts are spot on.”

“Well, I try my best.”

“And I take it we have the other father here with you today?”

Rachel nods and grabs Blaine’s hand. “Yes, this is Kurt’s better half, Blaine Anderson-Hummel, and the biological father of this little one.”

The nurse extends her other hand to Blaine, who takes it. “It’s lovely to meet you, I’m Cara.”

“You too,” he says as he shakes Cara’s hand. “So you have kids too?”

“Just one, he turned three on the twelfth of this month. Such a handful, I tell you. But from everything’s Kurt’s said, I’m sure you two will handle it all brilliantly.” Cara writes a few notes on Rachel’s chart. “Everything sounds good. I’ll be back when Dr. Nichs is ready to do the ultrasound. Take care, you guys.”

Kurt lets out a groan the moment the door to the exam room closes. “Why him?”

“Is there a problem?” Blaine asks.

“Dr. Nichs is the problem. We had him at our last appointment because Dr. Fields had an emergency to take care of, and he’s…”

“He makes Brittany into a MENSA candidate,” Rachel finishes. “Just be warned, okay?”

They’re correct; meeting Dr. Nichs is an experience. He looks to be well past seventy, which is when his dad plans on retiring from his hospital, he’s balding, and he has a violently loud timbre to his voice. “Good morning!” he booms as he walks in. “How is everything today?”

“Fine,” Kurt says, shooting an apologizing look to Blaine.

“Great. Now, Rebecca, have you had any issues the past few weeks?”

Rachel shakes her head. “Nope, all good.”

“Her name’s Rachel,” Blaine adds.

Dr. Nichs stares at him. “And who are you, young man? I wasn’t aware Rebecca and Karl were bringing visitors with them.”

“He’s not a visitor, he’s my husband,” Kurt says firmly. “And please get our names right, this is why we requested Dr. Fields to work the remainder of our appointments.”

His face turns sour, and Blaine knows nothing good will come from this. “Yes, I see,” Dr. Nichs replies. “Okay, _Rachel_ , please step on the scale so we can take care of your measurements.”

Rachel slides off the table and steps onto the scale in the corner. “Ah, yes, twenty-three pounds up. You’re certainly going after those midnight snacks, aren’t you?”

“Am I healthy, Doctor?” Rachel questions.

“Well, the child isn’t showing any signs of problems at the moment. Just be careful, as we’ll check you for gestational diabetes in about six weeks. Now, I’m to understand that you are doing your ultrasound today?”

“Yes, and Kurt, Blaine, and I would appreciate if Cara took care of it by herself.”

“Rebecca…”

“No. You do not anger the pregnant woman. I will discuss things with Dr. Fields privately and we will make sure you are off our services for the remainder of my pregnancy. You are rude, you’re discriminating against the fathers of the child I’m carrying, and you can’t even bother to get to know us like they have.” Rachel has to take a moment to catch her breath. “Please send Cara back in as you go,” she finishes, crossing her arms across the top of her belly.

“Young lady, please calm down...”

“Don’t tell her what to do,” Kurt says, stepping in between them and jabbing a finger into Dr. Nichs’ chest. “My husband and I have every right to sue you if you are discriminating against us, so it will be best for everyone if you step out of this room, send Dr. Fields in from wherever he is, and kindly remove yourself from our services before we speak with our attorneys.”

Dr. Nichs’ gapes at the three of them with a dumbfounded look. “I apologize,” he mumbles, “I will let you go now.” He leaves the room, leaving the three of them to stare at the white door as it clicks shut.

Blaine breaks the silence. “What was that?”

“A mess,” Rachel sighs. “This is exactly how things were for my 16-week appointment, too.”

“Wow. I’m sorry, guys. I didn’t realize it was that bad.”

“Oh, it was,” Kurt nods. “Now if I knew where Dr. Fields was we’d be better off. Another emergency?”

Rachel shifts, hugging her arms a little tighter and staring at the linoleum. “I’m sure there are a lot of women who end up with things that he has to take care of,” she says.

“Whatever. At least they’ll take this wacko away from us now. Who else is left, Dr. Richardson?”

“And Dr. Patel,” she replies. “Maybe we should try one of them out next month.”

“Why? Dr. Fields has been nothing short of incredible for us.”

“Yeah, but you don’t know if someone could be better.” Rachel shuffles her way back to the table and hops up. “I mean, Dr. Fields has been with us since my first appointment, before we came in for the insemination. He could be a little biased because he’s been working with us so long, you know?”

Blaine stares at her. “Isn’t that the point?” he asks. “Developing a rapport with the doctor?”

“I just feel like we should try Dr. Patel next month, okay? End of discussion.”

“There’s no need to change,” Kurt says.

“And there’s no reason not to.”

“Fine,” he huffs. He crosses the room and plants himself on the stool to Rachel’s right. Blaine joins them, and they sit rather uncomfortably while they wait for Cara to return.

“Knock, knock,” she says as she peeks into the room. “Everything okay? I heard there were some things that went down.”

“We’re managing, I think,” Blaine says.

“Great.” She steps in, tugging a large monitor behind her. “So, are you ready to see your baby, boys?”

“Of course!” Kurt says, sitting up a little straighter. “This is so exciting!”

She sets the sonogram machine up and asks Rachel to lift her shirt up to expose her belly. “There shouldn’t be any discomfort for you, but let me know if you feel something you shouldn’t.”

Rachel nods, “Of course.” She giggles as Cara pours some gel across her lower stomach. “Cold!”

“Yeah, there isn’t much we can do about it,” Cara replies. She turns the monitor on and picks up a wand connected to it, setting it in the middle of the pool of gel. “This may take a couple moments to get something.”

She waves it around a little until a gentle thumping sounds through the machine. Blaine looks over at Rachel and Kurt’s smiles. “What’s that?” he asks, wondering if there’s something he’s missing.

“That,” Cara says, “is your baby’s heartbeat.”

Blaine’s breath catches in his throat. “Really?”

“Mmhmm. And look here.” She points to a spot on the monitor. “Here’s the head.”

“Oh, wow,” he breathes out, completely awestruck. He’s looking at his child for the first time, the first of millions, and he doesn’t want the moment to end. He studies the face, trying to determine if the baby looks more like him or Rachel, but it’s so difficult to tell. Cara points out other body parts as she moves around...arms, fingers, legs, toes. Everything looks perfect.

Kurt stifles a giggle. “What’s wrong?” Rachel asks.

“Nothing, I just think I got my wish and the baby has Blaine’s nose instead of yours.”

She backhands his shoulder. “Who talked me out of the nose job, anyway?”

“Somebody had to! You wouldn’t listen to anyone else.”

“Yeah, because you had to bring Barbra into it.”

Cara turns to Blaine. “Is this how they normally are?”

“Lost time after nine years on opposite coasts,” Blaine shrugs. “But I love them both.”

“That’s good,” she smiles. “So, boys, are you willing to find out the gender today?”

“Absolu…” he starts before Kurt cuts him off.

“No.”

Blaine turns to Kurt in shock. “What?”

“I want to wait until Rachel gives birth,” he says.

“That wasn’t our plan, though.”

“Blaine, why not make this a surprise? We planned everything out, we got lucky on the first try…” He reaches behind Rachel’s head and touches Blaine’s shoulder, who flinches away. “Let’s have the entire nine months to prepare and find out when it’s time. It’ll be more special that way, right?”

Everything inside Blaine deflates at once. He wants to know; he wants to go out and purchase a dozen new dresses, or find an ‘it’s a boy’ teddy bear to send out to his parents. Waiting another five months is going to put him in agony wondering if he should get ready for baseball games or tap classes--or both, he guesses.

“Okay,” he sighs. “If you want to wait, we will.”

Kurt raises an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”

“You’ve already made your mind up, why should my opinion change that?”

“Blaine…”

“No, don’t.” He turns to Cara. “I’m sorry.”

“That’s fine,” she says. “Are you alright with this, Rachel?”

She points to each side. “They’re the bosses.”

“Alright. Let me get some copies for you and avoid the important parts, and we’ll get you guys on your way out.”

Blaine stares at the ultrasound pictures on the train ride home, ignoring Kurt’s usually comforting caresses. June feels so far off still, and he just want to know who he’s going to be taking care of.

“Are you going to talk to me?” Kurt asks.

“I’m fine,” Blaine replies.

“No, you aren’t. But okay, what if Cara told us boy when it’s really a girl? We don’t want to risk that chance. Besides, we have their whole life to love them no matter their identity, should they realize later on things were wrong.”

“True,” he says. He slumps further down on the bench. “Can we get some ice cream to make it up?”

Kurt smiles. “Of course.”


	9. February 2023

Natasha Grace Evans is quite possibly the most beautiful baby on the planet, Blaine thinks. At least until his and Kurt’s comes along.

“Oh, look!” he coos as she opens her eyes on camera to reveal gorgeous chocolate, just like Mercedes’. “Hi, Natasha!” he waves.

Mercedes smiles and picks up her tiny hand. “Say hi, Uncle Blaine!”

“She’s so precious. How are you doing, anyway?”

“I’ve been better,” she says, her smile diminishing. “I wish I could have had her naturally, of course. But the doctor says I should be recovered from surgery in a couple weeks.”

“That’s good. Sam treating you well?”

She chuckles. “Sam is a king and you know that. If you and Kurt treat Rachel half as well as he’s been taking care of me, she will love you guys for infinity.”

“That is true,” Blaine says with a smile. “She’s actually on her way over here for dinner and has a surprise for us. I don’t know what she’s been thinking…”

“Boy, come on, the lady is carrying your offspring. She probably wants to thank you guys for putting up with her. Lord knows I need to do the same for Sam. My mood swings while I was pregnant could have put teenage Rachel to shame.”

“Oh, no, you should have seen her last week when Kurt bought cookies from the wrong bakery. She refused to eat anything until he went to the one ten blocks away from our place rather than two from hers.”

“That’s hormones for you,” Mercedes grins. “I don’t miss those days at all.”

“Not thinking about number two yet?” Blaine asks.

“Maybe in a few years,” she answers. “I want to get back in the studio before summer, and maybe see how she takes to the road. Then we’ll go from there on whether or not she’ll be a big sister.” Natasha starts whimpering and fussing in Mercedes’ arms. “Ooh, somebody needs a diaper change, don’t you?” she says.

Blaine smiles. “How did you know that already?”

“Oh, you’ll pick up on all the cries the moment you bring them home, believe me. Now, I better get this girl cleaned up before Daddy comes back. Huh?” She blows a raspberry on Natasha’s belly in an attempt to calm her, to no avail. “Call again Wednesday night, okay? He should be home that evening, and you two can have all your BFF-ness where I can observe that you aren’t going overboard.”

“That’s not what Kurt asked you to do, is it?”

“My lips are sealed,” Mercedes smirks. “Have fun with Rachel tonight, and give Kurt a kiss for me.”

Blaine nods. “Will do. I’ll see you later.”

“You too, honey.” The picture disconnects, and Blaine sits back on the couch. Even at three weeks old and pushing ten pounds at birth, Natasha has grown tremendously. He can’t wait to witness those moments.

Blaine closes the computer up and joins Kurt in the kitchen, where’s he’s setting the table for four. “Did you miscount?” he teases, wrapping his arms around Kurt’s slim waist from behind and brushing his lips against his neck.

Kurt turns his head and smiles. “She texted me an hour ago and said the surprise is a person, but she didn’t say who.”

“Ah. You think she met someone while pregnant?”

“It’s possible, I guess. Knowing our luck, it’s going to be, like, Jesse St. James or someone equally annoying.” Kurt straightens a napkin a little. “It’s good for her, though, if that’s the case. It’s been what, two years since she and Andrew broke up?”

“Something like that, yeah,” Blaine muses. “Need me to do anything?”

Kurt shakes his head. “All good.”

“Boys?” Rachel calls out as she enters their apartment. “Where are you?”

“Kitchen!” Kurt yells.

She steps in, looking stunning in a flowy purple dress that grazes her growing figure. Blaine pecks her cheek and presses a hand to her belly. “How are you?”

“Be careful, you might come back with a broken finger as much as the kicking has intensified,” she grins.

Right on cue, the baby startles Blaine with a swift jab. “Whoa,” he says, pulling back in amazement.

“Told you,” Rachel says with a smirk.

Kurt pulls the chicken out of the over and sets it on top of a trivet to cool. “So where is your guest?”

Rachel fidgets and smooths the dress out over her belly. “In the living room. I wanted to make sure you two are completely open and welcoming to him, because things are going to be...awkward, to say the least.”

“I knew it,” Kurt mutters under his breath. Blaine grazes a hand across the small of his back to calm him. “Alright, let’s get this over with.”

“Okay.” She leads them out of the kitchen to meet--well, it definitely isn’t Jesse St. James.

“Dr. Fields?” Blaine gasps.

Their guest stands up and grins. “Hi Kurt, hi Blaine,” he says. “Please, call me Bryan out of the office.”

Bryan offers his hand to Blaine for him to shake. “It’s nice to see you again. I think we’ll both agree we missed you at the appointment last month.”

“Yeah, Bob is sometimes stuck in his old ways,” Bryan shrugs off. “If I could have performed the ultrasound I would have, but I have to be careful now.”

“Why?” Kurt asks.

“Because practice policy forbids me from doing any examinations on my significant other.” He pulls Rachel in close and kisses her. “I’m sorry.”

Kurt folds his arms. “How long have you two been dating, then? Please don’t tell me since the first time you met in September.”

“Excuse me,” Rachel says as she slips out of Bryan’s arm, “bladder duties.”

“Can we sit down?” Bryan asks. “I want to explain everything to the two of you and make sure you know I’m not using her for anything. She’s told me how close you all are.”

“Of course,” Blaine says. “Would you like a drink? We have a bottle of chardonnay ready for dinner.”

“Water’s fine, thanks. I’m not a drinker.”

Blaine isn’t sure if leaving Kurt alone with Bryan while he fills a glass will cause a riot. He’s willing to give him the benefit of the doubt--if someone is willing to deal with Rachel and all her quirks while she’s in the state she is now, then he must be a good guy.

“Here you go,” he says when he returns.

Bryan takes the glass and sips it. “Thank you.” He sets it on the coaster in front of him while Blaine takes a seat on the arm next to Kurt. “This really wasn’t in either of our plans,” he starts off.

“I bet,” Kurt says swiftly. His face is stone cold, and Blaine worries about Bryan’s safety more.

“When I was checking the bookings for the day you came in for the insemination, of course I recognized who she was. I loved The Rachel Show, never missed recording a single episode. It was during the waiting period after I, well, inserted the sperm that we started talking, and she got into how she asked to carry the baby for you two, and it warmed my heart.

“I’ve known my best friend, Nathan, since we were five years old in the same kindergarten class,” Bryan says. “We played everything under the sun together--every sport, every video game. We grew up in Utah, not in the Mormon community, but we were aware of how they looked upon outsiders. Nathan came out to me when we were fourteen, and even though I knew everyone would turn on him, he was still the same person to me. I told him how proud I was for his honesty, and I vowed to never let anyone who identifies as LGBT get beat down.”

“What does that have to do with us?” Kurt asks.

“Rachel told me about how you were rivals-turned-high school sweethearts and wanted to start a family. I knew right then, even before she told me about her fathers, that she viewed you two the same way I view Nathan. Although the closest I’ve come to doing something for him was getting suspended junior year for punching a bully who threatened to stab him.”

Blaine smiles softly. “As someone who was beat up due to my sexuality, I thank you for that.”

“No problem,” Bryan replies. “Anyway, I was intrigued by her, and after the first appointment I knew I was hooked on her. I asked her out after the twelve week appointment, and we’ve been together ever since.”

Kurt laughs to himself. “So, while she’s expecting _my_ child you two have been getting it on? Is that what you’re doing?”

“That is none of your business, but yes, we have had sex a couple times. Not many, as she seems to be one of those women whose drive is nonexistent throughout pregnancy. And I respect her on that level. I’m not after her body, I’m after her heart. And I only want you to accept that from me.”

“All we wish is that you treat her well,” Blaine says. “You have a great job, you’re intelligent, and you care deeply about your friends. It’s the same qualities Kurt and I have, and it’s what we’d hope Rachel would find in a significant other.”

“I should probably get the food served,” Kurt interrupts, standing up and making his way into the kitchen.

Bryan’s mouth falls open. “I didn’t say anything wrong, did I?”

“No, you didn’t,” Blaine replies. “Kurt’s a little protective of Rachel for several reasons. Has she talked about Finn at all?”

He nods. “A few times. I know he was her true love, and I wouldn’t want to take his place.”

“Nobody ever could. But Finn was also Kurt’s stepbrother, so while he wants the best for her, it’s hard for him to express that in a way that doesn’t diminish Finn’s memory. He passed not long after Kurt and I got engaged, and sometimes it hurt Rachel for her to see us being together, especially when we all lived in the same apartment. Kurt went out of his way to do things for her--he still does, even--to make her feel loved the way Finn wanted. You’re the first boyfriend she’s had since she came back from LA, so it’s a new experience for everyone.”

“Yeah, I’m sure.”

“You ready to eat?” Rachel asks.

“Sure,” Bryan says. “I hope the food’s great.”

“Kurt’s the best cook I know.” Blaine pats him on the back as they walk to the kitchen. “Don’t let him get to you. I like you enough, and he’ll come around eventually.”


	10. March 2023

The apartment is silent when Blaine trudges through their front door. Spring parent-teacher conferences combined with being the Monday before spring break have made the day unbearably long, and all he wants to do is curl up in the bath with his husband and relax. However, that seems to be out of the question, as Kurt is nowhere to be found.

The bath is still calling, though. Something to soothe the muscles that still ache from taking the weekend to transform their spare bedroom-slash-office into a nursery. It’s gone from a peppy blue that Kurt chose when they first moved in--’to celebrate their first place that actually has separate rooms’, he said--to a soothingly calm mint. The furniture is still to come, as both sets of grandparents have decided to get together soon and ship everything they choose from Ohio. Pretty soon it’ll be ready for their child to make his or her grand entrance.

Blaine begins drawing the bath and slips back out to grab the baby names book. They haven’t discussed choices much, which he hates because now they have to prepare two names just in case. He sets it on the ledge of the tub and undresses, kicking the discarded clothing to the side before he steps into the soothingly hot water.

He doesn’t know how much time has passed before the book is pulled out of his hands. “Hey,” he pouts.

“Shhh, don’t worry,” Kurt whispers. His mouth twists into a catlike grin, and Blaine realizes he’s already stripped out of his clothes. “I’m assuming you were waiting for me?”

“A little bit, yeah,” Blaine answers.

Kurt dips a hand into the water and latches onto Blaine’s cock. “Maybe not a little.”

The touch sends sparks zooming up Blaine’s spine. “Fuck,” he cries out. “Now you ruined my plans for the night.”

“Anything exciting?” Kurt teases, stroking up and down.

“Deciding whether Sophia or Lily would be the perfect name.”

“Hmm, I don’t know, do you want our child to be in a class with ten people who have similar names?”

“Yeah, you’re right. I already deal with enough of...shit.” The more Kurt jerks his cock, the more he can feel his brain shutting off. “I’m not gonna last.”

“Good,” Kurt says in a sultry voice. “That was never my agenda.”

“Just shut up and do your job.”

“Well, when you put it that way…” Another few twists and Blaine knows he’s close, knows Kurt knows he’s close. “Go ahead, love.”

“More,” Blaine gasps.

“You’re ready already. Show me how much you love me.”

That sends Blaine over the edge, and he releases, pushing through his orgasm and arching up into Kurt’s grip. After he finishes, he has to take a breather. “Thank you,” he says heavily. “Normally I should be the one welcoming you home like that.”

“I couldn’t pass up the opportunity,” Kurt grins.

“I’m glad you didn’t. Where were you this evening?”

“At the hospital. Rachel and I started birthing class tonight.”

The water, now lukewarm, feels like ice when Blaine hears that. “I thought we were going to do that together?” he asks.

“I know, but it was a last second opening after another couple ended up giving birth over the weekend. We wouldn’t have gotten in if Bryan hadn’t called them.”

“Oh, so now Bryan’s your best friend?” Blaine stands up and grabs the towel off the rack next to the tub. He frantically dries his torso before stepping out and getting his lower body.

“Blaine, you know I’ve warmed up to him,” Kurt sighs.

“Oh, really? Wasn’t it just last week you questioned Rachel on why he hadn’t dropped the L-word on her?”

“They’re taking it slow.”

“So why does that matter to you?” Blaine storms out the door and into their bedroom, throwing the dresser open to pull out a pair of briefs and some sweats.

Kurt follows him, now into full rage. “What the hell is your problem, Blaine? This has nothing to do with Bryan and you know it.”

He fumes silently for a second. “That may be true, but why did you break our plans to do the birthing class together? We’re both going to be in the delivery room, not just you.”

“And I could have invited you had you not been working late today. He literally called me at 1:30 to tell me about the opening, and if we hadn’t said yes we may have had to wait until the end of April to get in, which is later than they suggest new parents take the class.”

“You still should have told me.” Blaine brushes past Kurt again and plops down on the sofa. The only response he hears is the slamming of their door.

He buries his head in his hands. Ever since he went back to school, their time together has dwindled to Sunday and Monday evenings when Kurt is home, and summer vacations when Blaine doesn’t have to work. The only reason they and Rachel had held off on signing up for a childbirth class was because the Monday ones were so full. It wouldn’t have been fair to Kurt if Blaine and Rachel went alone--sure, he could have called out of the show those few evenings, but that would be impractical for everyone, especially the audience who paid to see him.

And it’s been like this nearly since the moment Rachel moved back to New York. The two of them have returned to many of their old habits, lunch together several times a week, shop, all while Blaine is striving to improve the next generation of performers. Several items have been purchased for the baby without Blaine there to give his opinion, including a stroller/carseat combo and mountains of clothing. It’s to the point where he feels all he’s contributed is his DNA.

The bedroom door creaks open and Kurt pads out. “I’m sorry,” he says, his voice hoarse from crying.

“Are you, though?” Blaine replies flatly.

“You’re right, I should have told you we got into the class. It wasn’t fair to exclude you from the decision.”

“You mean like you’ve excluded me from every decision the last six months?”

Kurt stares at him. “What are you talking about?”

“You decided I would be the biological father without consulting with me, you and Rachel go out while I’m at work and buy all these things that are taking over our home, you book the class without me, during the one week I’m not free in the evenings…” Blaine shakes his head in frustration. “I don’t think I’ve picked anything out since December.”

“That’s not true, is it?” Kurt asks.

“How can’t it be? I only see you two nights a week, and one of those most stores shut down early. It’s been the two of you doing everything, until this weekend when _I_ was the one who hit up Home Depot to pick up the paint _you_ chose.”

“Because I had to work!”

Disbelief runs through Blaine’s veins. “Pot, kettle, whatever. It’s getting to me, because I feel I have no say in anything that is going on. What, am I going to have to follow all of your parenting decisions and let my ideas fall by the wayside?”

“Blaine, you know I would never do that,” Kurt shouts.

“Then why have you been doing it since we first decided to let Rachel be our surrogate?”

“She’s my best friend, you know? The only people she spends time with on a regular basis are us and Bryan. She’s lonely, and uncomfortable, and she just wants someone to make her feel better. We end up shopping a lot because what else is there to do? She knows the paparazzi will catch her in Central Park and they’ll have a field day figuring out who knocked her up. Nobody outside of friends and family knows she’s doing this, which means she has to keep a tighter grip on where she goes.”

Blaine has always been semi-aware of this. Not one media social network has reported on Rachel expecting a child. However, he hadn’t realized she was going to these lengths to keep it a secret, most likely in their interests.

“That’s fine,” he says, “but don’t forget about me, okay? I’m your husband, and I’m also the father. I’d like to be able to choose what bedding to get or research which bottles will be best to use. This is our duty, not just yours, not Rachel’s.”

“Of course,” Kurt nods. He closes the gap between them and pulls Blaine into his arms. “I’m sorry I made you feel like this,” he says, gently rubbing his back.

“It’s alright, now you know.”

“I promise that next Monday, since you won’t have to work at all, we will hit every store imaginable to look into these things. We won’t have too much time left then, just a couple months. And of course you can come to the birthing class with us that night; I’m pretty sure I couldn’t shut up about you there tonight, so Rachel threatened to smack me as we left.”

Blaine giggles into Kurt’s shoulder. “Okay,” he says.

“Good. Now, how about we order some pizza since it’s getting late?”

“Of course. Double cheese?”

“You got it.” Kurt kisses Blaine’s forehead before letting go. “I love you, and I’m sorry.”

“I love you, too.” Blaine steps back and settles on the couch again. He still hates fighting after all these years, but he knows it’s only a sign of good things to come.


	11. April 2023

Mark struggles to move the crib by himself. “Let’s bring it over here, where the sunlight can give the baby a boost.”

“To what, cry a little louder?” Burt scoffs. “You’ve apparently not been out here much, those city noises will wreak havoc on the kid’s sleep. Should probably get this as far away from the window as possible.”

Blaine rolls his eyes and steps in. “Or you can leave it right there and when Kurt comes home from the show, he and I will decide where to set it? Burt, you know how he’ll react when he finds out you put yourself into a stressful situation like this.”

“Hey, let the two doctors in the room decide whether or not I’m fit enough to move some furniture around, alright?”

“Yeah, I’m an obstetrician, I’m staying out of this,” Bryan says from where he’s perched on the floor, screwing together a changing table.

Mark grins. “Don’t worry, Burt. Anything goes wrong, I’ll do the CPR.”

“I knew I could count on you. Unlike your son, who seems to have picked up on my son’s overbearing ways…” Burt jokingly glares at Blaine.

“And Carole isn’t the same way?” he counters.

“She’s allowed to be protective, she’s my wife.”

“And I’m your son-in-law. I have just as much say.”

Burt pats Mark on the shoulder. “Looks like you brought him up the right way,” he says.

“That was always my intention. Speaking of, Blaine, have you two discussed how you’re going to bring him or her up?”

The question startles Blaine. “What do you mean?”

“Religion-wise. What views will you enforce, what church will you attend, what stories from the Bible will you emphasize for the child to be good?”

Blaine purses his lips tightly in an attempt not to shout at his father. Being raised as a Roman Catholic, church played a prominent role in his growing up. He was in Sunday School every week, attended bible study in the summer, and made plenty of friends who viewed Jesus’ word as the almighty, even if he wasn’t entirely sure of it himself.

It was only when he discovered his sexuality that he decided the church, and everything it stands for, is a crock. A couple of the boys he went through confirmation with were already sexually active, bragging about their conquests the moment the teacher stepped out of hearing range. Mary-Beth Hightower, the sweet-natured girl who always wore her blonde hair pulled back into a braid, went to the teacher and blabbed on them, eventually getting the boys reprimanded for ‘not representing an upstanding, God-fearing life’. The punishments they had to perform terrified everyone, most of all twelve-year-old Blaine. He’d only admitted to himself that he was ‘eighty percent possibly’ gay that winter, and if they were in trouble for having sex? How would the church treat him if and when he came out? Once he was confirmed, Blaine decided to attend services less and less, instead choosing to spend his weekends focused on homework or music lessons. He stopped attending holiday services after he transferred to Dalton, as he felt even less welcome now that people showed him exactly how they felt about his orientation.

“Dad, I don’t think that’s going to be something we plan on,” he says frankly.

Mark looks at him in surprise. “Why not? There’s going to be a wealth of information that will become invaluable as they grow.”

“We don’t see a need to introduce our child to ideas that, quite frankly, we see as either fictitious or inapplicable to our lives and our family.”

“The Bible is not fictitious, son…” Mark starts.

Blaine rolls his eyes. “Really? A book that claims I’m an abomination and going to hell because I love a man? I’m supposed to believe all that garbage?”

“That has nothing to do with it, Blaine. You need to show morals and standards, and what better place to do that than a Sunday service?” Mark paces the room, making Blaine more nervous. “You and Cooper both loved sermons when you were little. He even takes Hannah to one when he has her, so she sees the values she needs.”

“And Kurt and I can teach those same values without stepping into a place where we don’t feel welcome.”

“This is unreal,” Mark says under his breath. “Burt, what do you think?”

Burt crosses his arms and glares at Mark. “I think these boys should do whatever the hell they want. I never forced Kurt to go to church--hell, he doesn’t even believe in God. But he’s turned out to be a good man, and all that matters is that he teaches the kid in his way, without outside influences.”

Mark scoffs. “No wonder your son is so in his ways.”

“Wait, excuse me?” Blaine growls. He immediately restrains Burt from pummeling Mark through to the apartment below. “What the hell did you say about Kurt?”

“No, let me at him,” Burt says, desperately trying to pull out of Blaine’s hold.

“You were always a good kid, Blaine, all the way until you met Kurt. And then look what happened...you went back to public school, you cheated, you defied everyone’s insistence at the opposite and proposed at eighteen. This isn’t how your mother and I raised you.”

“Do you care to explain what you mean by that?” Lina stands in the doorway, with Carole and Rachel behind her. 

“They’re not going to take their kid to church, Lina,” Mark says. “We didn’t raise Blaine to not do that.”

“Blaine is his own person, and how we raised him only has a say in what he decides to do. Everything he’s chosen since he was sixteen? We can only support him, and how he and Kurt decide to bring our grandchild up is one of those things we do not and should not get into.

“I was just as upset as you when Blaine chose to no longer attend services with us. But that was his decision, not ours. He was at a place where he could say ‘I’m not comfortable there,’ even if we didn’t know why at the time. He can do whatever he wishes, and as long as the baby is happy and healthy, I will support him and Kurt one hundred percent.”

Rachel pipes up, “Although, technically, the baby should be raised Jewish due to my blood.”

Bryan stands up and walks over to her. “You know what, I think you and I should go for a little walk,” he says, pulling her towards the living room. A click of the front door closing echoes through the apartment as they leave.

“Dad, I think at twenty-eight, I know how things should go,” Blaine says.

“No, you don’t,” Mark replies.

“I said should; that doesn’t mean it will follow exactly as planned. I know I’ve screwed up in life, I know the world’s had it out for me. But I want to make sure everything my child needs is covered, and I will do everything in my power to give that. My values, Kurt’s values, they’re good. You did raise me right, even through our differences, and that’s all I plan on doing. I know I’ll make mistakes, and I know sometimes there will be squabbles as they grow older and learn. But please don’t criticize me because I don’t feel like walking into a place that does not see me on the same level as another man.”

“Okay, then,” Mark surrenders, throwing his hands up in the air. “You’ve made your point.”

“I still do want to open their eyes to religion,” Blaine adds, “just in case when they get older they decide they want to look into it a little more. Any religion, whether it be Catholicism, Judaism, Islam...we’ll still love them.”

He feels someone hug him from behind. “Of course we will,” Kurt says. “Sorry I seemed to miss this discussion.”

“No, be glad,” Blaine whispers.

“The room looks fantastic, by the way. Dad, you didn’t move any of this stuff around and strain yourself, did you?”

Burt laughs. “See what I told you? Sometimes once they grow up, they’re the ones running your life. Now come on, I think we should take a break and get back to this tonight.”


	12. May 2023

“I don’t know why Rachel asked you to meet me here, but I’m glad she did,” Kurt says once he’s able to escape the mob at the stage door. He gives Blaine a kiss and links their arms. “Did she says where to meet her?”

“Just at her apartment,” Blaine replies as they step away from the theatre towards and up towards Broadway. “Bryan’s being secretive about it, too.”

“Of course he is,” Kurt chuckles. “At least we know he didn’t get her pregnant, huh?”

“True.” They descend underground, swipe through the gates, and find their way to the correct line to take them the three stops to Rachel’s place. A train is already pulling away, so they mill around the platform with a few other riders. “How was the show today?” Blaine asks.

“Great. I even got to talk to Rodger about taking a leave of absence once the baby arrives. He says it’s no big deal, and spending a few weeks at home getting used to everything is better than eight shows and sleepless nights combined.”

“That’s good. As long as Heath doesn’t outshine your version of Andy, right?”

“Which will only happen in his wildest dreams,” Kurt smirks. “How was your day?”

“Oh, you know, the usual Sunday,” Blaine muses. “Watched a little baseball, worked out a few details for the final concert, missed my husband, cleaned…”

“At least you kept busy.” Another train glides into the stop, and they wait for passengers to depart before the step on board. It’s a little empty for a Sunday evening, so they’re able to grab a couple seats and sit. Kurt speaks again after they’re on their way. “Do you realize in just six weeks we’ll be a family of three?”

“Time flies, doesn’t it?” Blaine responds. He leans against Kurt’s shoulder, enough at ease to show some affection without worry. “It seems like just yesterday when we were at the clinic for the first time.”

“And it’s only going to get crazy from here. How am I turning thirty in two weeks?”

“Because your mom and dad gave birth to you on that day?” he jokes. “It’s okay, you don’t look a day over twenty-two.”

“I hope you’re not just saying that because you’re hoping to get laid tonight.”

“Partially?” Blaine asks, grinning devilishly. “I mean it, though, you still look so much younger than me when there’s a sixteen month gap.”

“You’re lucky flattery works in your favor, Mr. Anderson.”

They relax in comfort until they reach their stop, where they get off the train and come back to the ground. Blaine feels his phone go off a few times, and he pulls it out to see three missed calls from Bryan. “Kurt, hold on,” he says, stopping under a restaurant awning and calls him back.

Bryan thankfully answers on the second ring. “Hey, where are you guys?” he asks.

“We just got off at 103rd,” Blaine says. “We should be there in five minutes.”

“Change of plans; grab a cab and head to the hospital. Rachel started having contractions.”

“What?” he shouts loud enough to earn glares from the elderly couple exiting the restaurant. “Is she okay?”

“I think so. They aren’t Braxton Hicks, but I’m sure they can be stopped at least. I already called Sharma to let her know we were coming.”

“What’s going on?” Kurt asks Blaine, his face full of worry.

“We’re on our way then,” Blaine says. “If anything changes call one of us, alright?”

“Will do,” Bryan replies. “Don’t worry too much, I’m sure this is just a minor incident and Sharma will be able to stop them. An overnight stay and light activity until she really goes into labor, that’s all.”

“Okay. We’ll see you in a bit.” He shuts his phone off and hails the first cab, rushing in and giving the driver the address.

“Blaine, what the hell is going on?” Kurt asks again.

“Rachel started having contractions, so Bryan took her to the hospital,” he replies. “Dr. Patel is going to do her best to stop them, and he thinks that can happen.”

“What if it doesn’t? What if she gives birth tonight? We’re not ready, Blaine.”

He pulls Kurt closer to him. “I know, love. If Bryan thinks things are okay, then they should be, right?”

“You know I don’t deal well with hospitals, though.”

“We have one of the best delivery teams on our hands if it does. Let’s not think about the worst case and hope Rachel and the baby are okay first.”

Blaine throws a wad of money towards the driver as they pull up to the hospital entrance, rushing out the second the cab stops at the curb. They travel up to the maternity floor and are greeted by some familiar faces.

“There you guys are!” Quinn exclaims as she jumps out of her seat to hug Kurt and Blaine. Behind her are Puck and Sam, both looking worried but glad to see them.

“I--what are you doing up here?” Kurt asks.

“Surprise baby shower, man!” Puck exclaims. He hugs Kurt, holding onto him longer than necessary. “That was the plan for the evening, until your offspring attempted to escape. Those are definitely your genes, Anderson.”

“I’m glad you’re amused by all of this,” Blaine says.

“It was going to be fun,” Sam says. “Mercedes sends her love and apologies. She took Natasha and Jackson back to the hotel so they wouldn’t get restless here.”

“That’s probably good thinking. A baby shower? Really? You never even told me you’d be coming up here!”

“I know how to keep secrets.” Sam puffs his chest out. “The Blond Chameleon does not like to give intel away, especially when it concerns Nightbird and his hatchling.”

Kurt stifles a laugh when Blaine looks at him for help. “Your best friend; if I have to control Rachel, you can handle him.”

“Thanks so much,” Blaine says, rolling his eyes. “I’m glad you all came out here, though, even if it the plans derailed.”

Quinn smiles. “You two deserve all the love and support you can get. Rachel told me about the tiff you got into with your dad.”

He shrugs it off. “That’s how our relationship has been for fifteen years. I disappoint him, he ignores me. I’m sure I won’t hear anything from him until he flies out here to meet his grandchild, and then we’ll forget it all happened.”

“That sucks, man,” Puck says. “And this is coming from someone who has his share of daddy issues.”

Bryan strolls down the hallway towards the waiting area. He looks frazzled, his glasses pushed to the top of his head, embedded in his thick, dark locks. “I was right, we got the contractions to stop, and Rachel will be kept for observations through the morning. Sharma did an ultrasound and everything with the baby is looking great.”

Blaine lets go of the tight grip he’s been holding onto Sam with at the news. “Thank god,” Kurt breathes out. “Can we see her?”

“One at a time, I’m afraid, so you can go in first. She’s in 4113”

“Great.” Kurt follows Bryan towards Rachel’s room and disappears through a door.

“I guess this has been an eventful day,” Blaine says. “Thanks again, you guys. Maybe we can reschedule things for tomorrow night?”

Puck shakes his head. “No can do, bro. The lady and I have plans.”

“We’re meeting Shelby for dinner,” Quinn adds with a smile. “We figured it’s about time Beth meets her little brother, right?”

“And Mercedes and I have a thirteen-hour drive to get through with a three-month-old in tow,” Sam says. “All the air travelers should appreciate us.”

“Man,” Blaine sighs, “that’s too bad. Hopefully you guys can return to meet our little one this summer?”

“Of course, dude. Natasha can’t wait to meet her boyfriend.”

He chuckles. “Sam, we don’t know if it’s a boy or girl, please don’t start shipping our children together.”

“I’m not, they’re destined to be together! And if they’re girls who date, so what?”

“No more late night headcanons, okay?”

Sam gasps. “What else are we supposed to talk about, the reunion?”

“Going by how much Tina complains when we get off topic in our chats? Yeah,” Blaine nods.

“Impossible, let’s revolt and plan a Marvel party with a marathon of every film!”

“Dude, is this where you admit you named your daughter after Black Widow?” Puck asks.

“Uh, I thought that was a given,” Sam deadpans.

Blaine sits down and motions for the others to join him. “You know, it might be a long evening. We can still catch up until they kick us out of the hospital…”


	13. June 2023

As much as Blaine wishes he could sleep in on the first Monday of summer vacation--especially given the lack of sleep he’ll soon be experiencing--waking up and meeting Rachel for an 8:30 appointment is even better.

“I don’t understand why I’m not going,” Kurt says over his frittata, clearly disappointed. “I’ve been to every appointment and now two weeks before the due date, I get pushed aside?”

“As you said, you’ve been to every appointment.” Blaine grabs his travel mug and fills it up with coffee. He’s not in the mood to fight this morning, especially if the doctor says Rachel will need to go right into preparing for delivery. “I’ve only had the opportunity to go to one of them in nine months. You staying home is not the end of the world.”

“I didn’t say it was, I just said I don’t want to miss an appointment. You could have taken a day or two off work to come, too.”

“And what if I needed those sick days next year, huh? We don’t know how many colds they’ll come down with. Now shut up and let me have my turn.”

He knows he shouldn’t have said it the moment it comes out of his mouth. “Excuse me?” Kurt asks.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.”

“And how exactly did you mean it?”

“Why are you turning this into a passive-aggressive argument?” Blaine asks. “You get all the joys of being an expectant parent and I’m the one stuck in the working world, oblivious to everything that’s going on because you don’t tell me what you’re doing or buying until I get home. That’s not fun, at least to me.”

“Because obviously parenting is going to be loads of fun, with tons of dirty diapers and vomit-covered clothing,” Kurt scoffs.

“I never said that. I said you get the thrills and I don’t”

Kurt points to the door, now beyond angry. “Well, if you want this thrill you better go so you aren’t late.”

“Fine.” Blaine storms out, forgetting his coffee but not caring enough to go back in and retrieve it. He’ll stop at a coffeeshop after the appointment.

By the time he reaches the doctor’s office his mood hasn’t improved. Rachel notices the moment he sits in the chair next to her. “Oh, no, what happened?” she asks.

“Kurt’s pissed that I came here and he didn’t.”

“Why? You’ve only been here once, he should be happy you can do these last few.”

“It puts him on the outside looking in,” Blaine says, “just as I’ve felt through the entire pregnancy. Why is it a crime to have the tables turned for once?”

“Maybe he feels he needs to make up for not being able to provide his sperm,” she suggests. “Maybe he’s jealous that you not only were able to, but got me pregnant in one go? He definitely wants to be there in every aspect, and it’s possible there’s an underlying reason for that. You’re entitled to feel hurt that you haven’t been here, but he’s also able to feel the same for those reasons.”

Blaine never considered the possibility. “You really think so?” he asks.

“I know so,” Rachel answers. “We’ve discussed it several times.”

He leans back and sighs. “I’m an ass. No wonder he basically kicked me out to get here on time. I conceived this kid, and he’s stepped up to make up for that.”

“Yeah. At least you know now.”

“True.”

Rachel smiles and changes the subject. “So did your brainstorming session lead to any decisions on names?”

“Sort of?” Blaine says. “I think we’ve settled on Piper Elizabeth as a girl’s name.”

“Oh, that’s lovely!” Rachel exclaims. She places a hand on her belly. “Do you like Piper, little one?”

“Any response?”

“Nope...I hope they’re sleeping, for your sake. Okay, so what about for a boy?”

He shrugs. “Nothing’s sticking. I pick a name, Kurt says it’s not good. He picks one, I can’t see our child going by it. We’re running out of time, and hopefully something will come to us before you go into labor.”

“I’m sure something will,” she smiles.

Cara steps into the waiting room and smiles at them. “Hi, Rachel, hi, Blaine,” she says. “Ready to go?”

“I’m more ready to get this entire thing over with,” Rachel says. She struggles to get out of the chair until Blaine grabs her arms and guides her up. “See what forty pounds does?” she jokes, waddling towards Cara.

“So that’s a no on doing this again?” Blaine jokes.

“Unless Bryan and I decide to have one.”

He freezes. “Wait, seriously?”

“I think he’s it,” she whispers. “I haven’t been this happy with someone since Finn.”

Blaine beams and attempts to hug her without her large belly in the way. “That’s wonderful!”

“Oh, Dr. Fields hasn’t been the same since you two got together either,” Cara says.

“I thought nobody knew?” Rachel asks as she hoists up onto the exam table.

“Office gossip goes a long way.”

* * *

By the time Blaine makes it home, Kurt is sitting in the middle of the nursery. “Penny for your thoughts?” Blaine asks.

“I’m an idiot,” Kurt replies softly.

“No, you aren’t.” He crawls down and sits across from Kurt, linking their hands together in the middle. “Rachel told me how you’ve been feeling about stepping in to make up for everything in September. I should have understood that, and I’m sorry I didn’t.”

“I didn’t want you to know how jealous I was, so that is my fault. I thought, when it couldn’t happen, I’d be happy letting you do the job and having that tie to him or her. But then I felt I needed to do something to show how much I love them.”

“You don’t need to do anything but be yourself,” Blaine says. He rubs his thumbs up and down Kurt’s in an attempt to calm him. “From the moment we meet them, our love is going to be everything they know and look for. It doesn’t matter whose DNA you’ll find, it matters how much we care.

“And you’re right, I could have taken a few more appointment days off and been there. I thought I was doing the right thing by staying at school, and it cost me more than I imagined.”

“I would have done the same in your shoes,” Kurt says with a small smile. “How many sick days do I take from the show? Work is important, and it’s going to be moreso when we’re realizing our expense have doubled.”

“That is true,” Blaine replies. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” Kurt closes the gap and kisses him gently.

“You know, we don’t have too much time to spend by ourselves. Why don’t we make the most of a Monday and spend the rest of the day in bed?”

“That sounds like an amazing idea.” Kurt scrambles to his feet and helps Blaine up. “Did Dr. Patel give any indication as to when?”

“I guess Rachel has only dilated another centimeter since she was hospitalized, so we’re still in wait and see mode.”

“That’s too bad. I guess I can have a little more sex with my husband, in the meantime.”

Blaine’s already stripping his polo off. “And the problem with that is?”

“I might not want to go to work tomorrow night,” Kurt smirks before Blaine pounces on him.


	14. July 2023

Blaine stares down at the city below them through the window. His newborn son is cradled in his arms, sound asleep. “This is your home,” he whispers, careful not to jostle him into another crying fit. “I don’t know why you decided to wait an extra eleven days before greeting everyone, but I’m glad you’re here.”

Even being overdue, Blaine was shocked and panicked when Rachel’s water broke the morning before as they ate brunch. Everything from there he rushed through in a haze--calling Kurt’s theater so they could let him know before the matinee began, calling the hospital and asking them to let Bryan, the doctor on-call that day, decide whether he wanted to perform the delivery, calling Lina and then Burt to let them know their grandchild was on the way.

Rachel herself was a nightmare. They agreed from the beginning that a natural, drug-free birth was the way they wanted to proceed. Two hours in, she demanded an epidural and nearly bit the nurse when she refused to give it ‘on the fathers’ orders’. She continuously cursed Blaine and Kurt out for putting her in agony, and Bryan each time he checked and said she wasn’t near enough to be ready to push. Seventeen hours after her labor began and after an hour of pushing, she finally delivered a healthy little boy, a spitting image of Blaine.

He moves over to the glder located in the corner of the delivery room and sits down, setting his son in his lap. He’s so perfect, even with the amount of curls that sit on his head. “We should probably invest in a gel company now,” Kurt joked when he saw the hair.

“If I could fly,” Blaine begins to sing softly, “then I would know what life looks like from up above and down below. I’d keep you safe, I’d keep you dry. Don’t be afraid, little one. I’m the satellite, and you’re the sky.” It’s a moving song he’s had on a playlist to prepare him for fatherhood, and one that stuck to him.

Blaine hears the snap of Kurt’s camera app as he nuzzles close to his son. “I think this is the perfect shot to announce to the world,” Kurt says.

Blaine takes a look at the picture. “Oh, wow, yeah. If only we could come up with a name first.”

“Have you reconsidered on Milo?”

“Kurt, I’m not naming him after a cat in a sad children’s movie, everyone will hate him. Say he should be Sawyer instead.”

“So you can name him after a television character? Forget it.”

“Then he’s going to stay nameless and we’ll tell everyone we’re starting a new trend.” The baby cracks his eyes open and yawns. “Don’t you like that idea?”

“He’s probably bored of us fighting over this already,” Kurt says.

Blaine smiles. “Then he’s going to have to get used to us fighting.”

“What are you fighting over now?” Rachel asks groggily from her bed. She stretches gingerly and grimaces. “Ow.”

“Are you still hurting?” Kurt asks as he sits at the foot of her bed.

“Yeah. I guess they weren’t lying when they said recovery is going to be terrible. Why are you two arguing now?”

“We’re still trying to figure out a name,” Blaine says. He stands up and pads over to join them. “Hey, you want Aunt Rachel to hold you?” he asks. The baby yawns in return.

Rachel holds her arms out for Blaine to place him in, and she cuddles him to her chest. “Hi, you,” she coos. “Try not to make Daddy and Papa’s world insane, that’s already my job.”

“I think we’ll be fine,” Kurt teases.

She stares at the baby for a few moments, her face contemplative. “Still thinking about whether your maternal instincts are going to stick around?” Blaine asks.

“Not after the trauma you put me through,” she smiles. “What about Christopher?”

He looks at Kurt, whose eyes go wide. “What about it?”

“I…” Rachel pauses and bites her lip. “When I was younger, I assumed when I gave birth to my first child I’d go ahead and name him after the grandpa he’d never get to know. It was always a fitting tribute, and it went well since it would also be his daddy’s middle name.” She chokes back a sob. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have gone there. Finn never even knew I planned that.”

“No, don’t apologize,” Kurt soothes. He crawls up the bed and wraps around her. “I think it’s a great name. What do you say, Blaine?”

He nods. “I like it, too. And now he can have that connection to his uncle, right?”

Rachel looks up at them with glassy eyes. “You don’t have to take it just because I suggested it,” she says.

“We’re taking it because you suggested it.” Kurt brushes a few curls off his forehead. “What do you say, Christopher?”

Christopher answers with a squeal. “That’s a yes!” Rachel exclaims.

“I think it is. Now for a middle name…”

“Mark?” Blaine says out of the blue.

“Are you sure?” Kurt asks him. “I don’t want you to resent it if you and your dad have another falling out.”

He nods. “Yeah, I’m sure.” He doesn’t think things will get bad again. Mark extended an olive branch last weekend, and they both apologized for not listening to the other when it came to their differences. “Plus then his name will connect to both sides of the family.”

“That’s a good idea.” Kurt leans down and kisses Christopher’s forehead. “Happy birthday, you.”

“Then it’s settled,” Rachel says. “Welcome to our world, Christopher Mark Anderson-Hummel.”

“Ooh, I think that’s the caption I should use!” Kurt jumps up and pulls his phone back out to post the picture on every social media outlet.

Blaine stares down at Christopher in Rachel’s arms. “I don’t think I can ever thank you enough,” he says. “You made my dream come true.”

“I’m glad to be a part of it,” Rachel smiles. “Wanna see Daddy again?”

He takes Christopher back and falls in love all over again.


End file.
